


The Ashen Saiyan

by SkyNinja1997



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Dragonball Z crossover!, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 171,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22922467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyNinja1997/pseuds/SkyNinja1997
Summary: Byleth isn't an ordinary Mercenary. She got a lot of stuff from her mother. Great durability, a black hole for a stomach, and a brown tail. But going to Garreg Mach, she learns more about her mother as well as her power. Half Saiyan Byleth. Jeralt and Byleth know Ki. More characters will learn how to use it.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Marianne von Edmund, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Hilda Valentine Goneril/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Part 1: White Clouds

A Strange Vision 

_ Location: Planet Vegeta _

__

_In the early mornings of Planet Vegeta, the inhabitants were getting ready to go about their business as they exited their houses and huts. One such woman was walking out her home getting ready for her job. But something didn’t seem right. The Saiyan woman couldn’t place it on her finger, but things seemed….. tense. She saw how ships were coming in from their planetary missions. While it was nice to see her friends again since she barely saw them, it didn’t make sense to just be sent back out of the blue like that._

_She brushed her black bangs out of her face, as she moved between the crowds of the market. She used to clear planets of life for Frieza to sell, but she had effectively quit because of an incident that happened on one of her missions._

_“Hey Sitri! Over here!”_

_The woman known as Sitri spotted a shorter woman who gave her a hug. This was her friend Gine, and she was more unique than Sitri was. Gine was very kind and not much of a fighter compared to the others Saiyans, but at least she was good to talk to when the need arose._

_“Good morning Gine, what is going on? Why is everyone coming back today?”_

_Gine shrugged as she looked around. “Who knows? Apparently Frieza has an announcement so asked everyone to come back here. Bardock is arriving soon too. I’m so glad he’s coming back!”_

_She was about to respond when a noise was sounding nearby. Sitri blinked as it was her wrist that was beeping. “Sitri! Where are you?! You were supposed to be here five minutes ago!”_

_Panic set in as Sitri flailed about trying to elicit a response and almost dropping her wrist communicator in the process. “Sorry sir! I’m on my way! Sorry Gine but I have to run! Say hi to Bardock and Kakarot for me! I’ll try and visit!”_

_Gine just stared as Sitri sprinted away, before giggling silently and walking to the meat factory to work._

_Sitri panted as she kept on tripping, pushing and apologising to people before finally getting to her station, and her boss was there with a stern expression as Sitri bowed deeply. “I’m terribly sorry sir!”_

_He just sighed and shook his head. “Whatever, just get a move on. Some of the dispatch pods have been malfunctioning as of late. I want you to fix them immediately. We can’t be caught short handed or the king will have our tails. Got it?”_

_“Yes sir! Understood sir! It will be done sir!” Sitri kept bowing each time she said the word ‘sir’ before running off to the first pod._

_When she got there, Sitri picked up the tool box that was provided by her boss and peered inside the pod to see the damage. “Ok, so this one has a little trouble with the controls. Should be an easy fix.”_

_Sitri opened up the control panel as she used a scanning device to find the fault. Sure enough, it highlighted a loose wire at the back. Now knowing what the problem was, she managed to fix it very easily by carefully lifting the other wires and connecting and fastening the loose one. “Okay, that’s the first one done. How many more left?”_

_She peered up from the first pod and stared blank eyed at the pile in front of her. She let loose a loud groan collapsing onto the ground as she realised she would be here all day!_

_Hours had passed as Sitri groaned flopping onto the ground as this was the tenth pod that she had fixed. She stared up into the sky which was starting to turn orange and sighed._

_“I really wish I was on planetary leave right now….. I would honestly take that.”_

_“Yo Sitri. Give me a pod. We’re needing it.”_

_She wheeled around to see Gine and a scarred man with a deep frown approaching her as she stood between him and the pod. “Bardock? I can’t give you this. I would get in-“_

_“It’s important. We need to get Kakarot off this planet. Frieza is going to destroy us.”_

_Sitri’s eyes widened before she crossed her arms, obviously not thinking he was being funny. “And did he tell you this? What proof do you have?”_

_“I’m not 100% but everything keeps lining up for it to not be a coincidence. Wanting us all in one place, he keeps asking about the legend of the Super Saiyan. I want Kakarot off this planet just in case my hunch is right.”_

_Sitri was about to say no again but stopped. It was just one pod, and some of them were too damaged anyway, plus Gine was her best friend and she got her this job. So why not just give one away? She groaned loudly as she pushed the first pod to him. “Just take it okay?! And if I get an earful from my boss I’m blaming you!”_

_“Whatever.” Bardock rolled his eyes picking it up. “You gonna keep quiet about this?”_

_“Not like anyone would believe me anyway.” Sitri huffed crossing her arms. “Gine, he better be right about this hunch since my pay check will get hurt because of this stunt!”_

_Gine said nothing but nodded absently, in deep thought as Sitri watched the two walk away. ‘At least I finally get some peace to work.’_

_Hours had passed as Sitri yawned loudly. “Jeez, is it dark already? How long have I been at this?”_

_A sinking feeling went through her as she saw the pile again. It got smaller, but not as much as she had hoped. “I’m tired and hungry. Stupid Bardock taking away one of the pods. I hope he doesn’t get Gine into trouble by doing this.”_

_She yawned again as she peered inside her finished pod. But a giant glowing ball made her turn to the sky and gawked._

_‘What is that?!’ Sitri screamed in her head as her knee hit a button causing her to let out a surprised shriek when the pod door hit her in the butt. It closed shut as the giant ball of fire got closer. She was trapped._

_Sitri started looking around as the pod started rising off the ground and shot off into space. She had no clue where she was going. She didn’t punch in any coordinates, she could only look in horror as the giant ball collided with Planet Vegeta and utterly destroy it._

_Tears ran down her face as everyone she knew and loved was gone. Her family, her friends. Gine. Gine didn’t deserve this!_

_“Bardock was right.” Sitri whispered to herself as her pod travelled through space. Then she realised something that made her face go pale._

_If this was the case, and Bardock was right. Then the Frieza Force would try to eliminate her too. She had nowhere to go. But her eyes started drifting shut, exhaustion taking over. “I hope…… this planet……. Has food.”_

_With that, Sitri passed out with the pod continuing its journey towards this new planet, away from suspecting eyes._

* * *

_  
…….._

“Hey kid! Wake up! Come on, you don’t wanna miss breakfast do you?”

A yawn escaped a woman, who got out of bed in a village called Remire. This was Byleth, a mercenary who was just having a dream before being woke up. This was one of two dreams she’s been having for weeks.

She walked out to find her father, Jeralt standing there with a stern expression. She was already dressed as the life of a mercenary taught Byleth to stay in armour should a fight arise. “Having dreams again?”

“Yes. I was dreaming about this young girl. And there was also this war.”

Jeralt made a face as he scratched his beard in thought. “You’ve described that girl to me, but I’ve never met anyone with that description. As for the war part of your dream. We’ve never had a battle that intense for many generations.”

Byleth ruffled her blue locks in an attempt to make herself look more presentable as Jeralt shook his head.

“Regardless, try not to let it cloud your mind today. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts and we have a lot of work to do. Specifically paying off the food tab that you’ve left behind.”

A blush graced her cheeks as her father let out a chuckle. “Don’t sweat it kid. That’s one thing you got from your mother is your insane appetite. I swear, that woman could eat an entire kingdoms pantry and still want more. Come on, let’s head downstairs.”

Byleth nodded smiling as he stopped just before the stairs. “Oh, and one more thing. Make sure you keep your tail wrapped around your waist. Don’t want the enemy getting a hold on that do we?”

She heeded his warning as a furry appendage wrapped around her waist. Byleth was born with a furry brown tail, which Jeralt preferred she keep to herself. On top of getting bad looks from people, he learned that it’s a great weakness if somebody manages to grab hold of it. He made a mental note to try and make his daughter more resistant to it at a later time

But before they could talk again, one of their fellow mercenaries ran up to them. “Jeralt, sir! Sorry to interrupt, but your presence is required.”

Jeralt raised an eyebrow, not expecting anything urgent today aside from working off the tab. “What’s the problem?”

“There’s some youngsters outside who need our assistance!”

Father and daughter looked at each other and nodded. “Rally the men, I’ve got a feeling we’ll need them. Kid, you’re with me.”

“Can we get breakfast first?”

“Byleth…….”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Was worth a shot.” Byleth let out a long sigh at this change of plans and ran out the door with Jeralt in tow. It was still dark out as the pair saw three teenagers.

One was a young woman who had long silvery hair that reached down to her back and had piercing lilac eyes that seemed to study everyone around her. She had this air around her that seemed to suggest she was high class.

The boy in the middle had blonde hair which was messy and deep blue eyes, and just like the woman, appeared to have that same air. He was the one who called for help.

The last one was also a boy. He had a darker skin colour than the other two and had thick brown hair with one side being braided. He didn’t seem to have the high class air his companions did, but his eyes were looking all around him.

“Pardon for the interruption, but we were hoping you could help us. We wouldn’t ask if the situation wasn’t so dire.” The blonde boy explained as Jeralt looked at the three.

“What are you kids wanting at this hour?”

“We are being pursued by a group of bandits. We can only hope you would be kind to-“

“Are they strong?” Byleth asked walking up to the three who weren’t expecting this question.

“I…… I suppose. They’re a large group-“

“No I mean, are they strong to fight against?”

The boy was at a loss for words. “I…… I’m not sure what you-“

“Kid, that’s enough. You’ll get your fight. For now, we need to know what happened.” Jeralt said pulling in his daughter as the woman decided to provide an explanation.

“They attacked us while we were resting in our camp.”

The third boy continued on for the woman. “We were separated from our companions and outnumbered. They’re after our lives, as well as our gold.”

Jeralt hummed as he surveyed the three. “I’m impressed you’re being so calm considering the situation.”

But then he saw what they were wearing and realised. “Wait. Those uniforms-“

Another mercenary came running up panting as if he was in full sprint. “Bandits spotted just outside the village! There’s so many of them!”

“Then it’s settled. We can’t leave this village since we owe so much to them.” Jeralt said as he saw Byleth almost vibrate with excitement. He let out a chuckle ruffling her hair as he got on horseback.

“Alright kid. Let’s see if your training has paid off. Try not to kill them, they’ll be more useful alive. Now before we go, I believe introductions are in order.”

The three nodded as the woman stepped forward. “I am Edelgard von Hresvelg of the Adrestian Empire.”

The blonde boy then gave a bow as he introduced him. “I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd of the Kingdom of Faerghus. A pleasure to meet you”

The last boy smirked giving a two fingered salute. “Claude von Riegan of the Leicester Alliance. No need to bow.”

Edelgard and Dimitri rolled their eyes as Jeralt nodded. “I am Jeralt and this is Byleth. Now let’s get going.”

“Hold on.” Dimitri said stopping them. He turned over to Byleth who looked really annoyed that he had stopped her.

“Sorry, but where is your weapon? We’re fighting against bandits with swords and bows.”

Byleth gave a curious tilt of her head before punching her fists together. “I got them right here. Now let’s get going! I’m really pumped up to fight!”

With that the three watched in disbelief as the blue haired woman sprinted off so fast causing a draught of wind to blow their hair as Jeralt chuckled.”She’s right, let’s get going.”

* * *

  
Byleth let out an eager giggle as she stopped off at the clearing seeing the many bandits approaching the village. She took a breath before doing some stretches and jumps to warm up. Some bandits saw her doing this and looked extremely annoyed. Was this some sort of joke to this woman?

“Hey boss! This girl is making a fool out of us!”

A scruffy looking man appeared from the back and growled. “Damn it, why are there mercenaries here? We gotta deal with them too. Kill the girl! She’s on her own!”

Byleth grinned as she took a stance waiting for some to charge at her. One bandit held an axe and swung in a wide arc hoping to take her head off but Byleth ducked and punched him hard in the belly sending him flying into a tree, cracking the trunk from the impact. The remaining four bandits jaws dropped at this display of power as Byleth made a pout.

“That wasn’t fun. He went down in one. Should I hold back more? You guys! Come at me all at once!”

“Come on! If we surround her she stands no chance!” They yelled and charged with their weapons raised as Byleth tossed her jacket away smirking. She dodged a spear being thrusted her way and ducked under a sword slash as she kicked the shins of the one holding the spear which caused him to scream in pain as she threw him over her shoulders and onto the ground before poking the bandit with the sword in the eye and punched him in the face breaking his jaw.

At this point the four caught up and the three students were just staring slack jawed at this display while Jeralt was chuckling to himself. “Don’t get cocky kid, that’ll prove to be costly!”

Byleth smiled and gave a thumbs up while twisting another bandits arm causing him to scream in pain as she kicked him to the ground. “Come on guys! There won’t be any left to fight if you just stand around!”

Claude gave a nervous grin at this display of strength as he readied an arrow. “Heh, at least save some for us. Hehehe……”

“Such power…….” Edelgard mumbled as she drew her axe charging forward.

Dimitri was in disbelief, drawing his spear. ‘ _Is it possible her strength rivals my own? I must ask for a duel later._ ’

With that goal in mind, Dimitri charged alongside Claude as the group were putting more pressure on the bandits, with Jeralt more protecting the three students while Byleth kept fighting the front force.

But she was getting bored. None of these bandits were a challenge. It’s something she always had to live with, being born with a natural talent to strength and durability. Countless foes she had faced were no match for her. It earned her the nickname ‘Ashen Demon’.

She readied her stance again as she charged towards the leader of the bandits, that scruffy man from earlier who was frantically trying to look for a way out but was punched by Byleth knocking him to the ground. But he wasn’t knocked out as he jumped up growling.

“I am Kostas! And I won’t be beaten by some punks! You’ll die!”

“You got this boss!” His men cheered as he charged towards Edelgard who gasped in surprise but drew out a dagger from her hip, ready to fight.

But she looked to her left to see Byleth push her out of the way as she was ready to take the hit. But before the axe made contact, everything froze.

* * *

**_  
Byleth found herself in a dark area with a throne in the centre. She couldn’t make heads or tails but it was certainly familiar._ **

**_“Honestly! What were you trying to accomplish with that little stunt?! It’s like you’re trying to get me killed, you fool!”_ **

****

**_Byleth turned around to see a young girl on the throne who looked very annoyed at her. This was the same girl from her dreams as Byleth crossed her arms._ **

****

**_“I could’ve taken that blow. I’ve survived worse.” She mumbled as she looked towards the side._ **

****

**_The girl just let out a long sigh, resting her face on her hand. “Regardless, if you do not know the value of your own life, you’re not going to protect it very well are you?”_ **

****

**_Byleth looked towards the girl again who let out a giggle and clapped her hands together. “So it’s up to me to guide you from now on, right?”_ **

****

**_She let out a nod as Byleth just kept staring. “You may call me Sothis. But I am also known as ‘The Beginning’.”_ **

****

**_The girl now known as Sothis then made a face as she closed her eyes. “Sothis…… yes. That is it. My name is Sothis. And I am also called ‘The Beginning.’ But who once called me that?”_ **

****

**_Byleth was saying nothing up until this point but now Sothis was just mumbling to herself. “What are you talking about?”_ **

****

**_“I was not able to recall my name until just now, and just like that it came to me. How odd.”_ **

****

**_Her expression then changed to annoyed as she looked at Byleth. “That look on your face. Did you think me a child? A child who forgot her own name?”_ **

****

**_Byleth suddenly felt like looking at her shoes as her tail curled more around her waist. “Phooey! That ‘child’ just saved your life! And what does that make you?”_ **

****

**_“But I could’ve taken that attac-“_ **

****

**_She shrunk back seeing Sothis glare at her as she let out a mumble. “I’m not a child……”_ **

****

**_“Hah! Such arrogance. You look the part but are you truly an adult? I’ve seen the way you fight. Such recklessness. No value for your own life. And no weaponry to boot! Not to mention the way you eat, honestly! You would think you were a starving orphan.”_ **

****

**_“I just like to eat that’s all.” Byleth said as she had a hopeful smile. “Speaking of which do you have any food in here? I didn’t get breakfast because of the bandits.”_ **

****

**_Sothis just stared at her with an open mouth in shock. “Do I have…….. are you serious?! You almost died out there, I saved you, and all you can think about is food?!”_ **

****

**_“But I’ve taken blows before! A sword shattered against my arm once.”_ **

****

**_That gave the girl pause. “Shattered you say? How curious. Hmm… now that I look at you, you’re certainly different from a regular mortal.”_ **

****

**_Byleth tilted her head. “How so?”_ **

****

**_“Aside from the fact you were able to break bandits with just your fists? I saw that display of strength, how you punched one into a tree hard enough for it to crack. Not to mention that tail around your waist.”_ **

****

**_The mercenary let out a noise as if surprised she noticed with Sothis just nodding. “Yes you are a curious one indeed. You seem human but your energy is different, just ever so slightly.”_ **

****

**_Sothis then clapped her hands together. “Let’s get back on track. If you were curious on what has happened, I stopped the flow of time to intervene with that little stunt of yours to save that girl.”_ **

****

**_She smiled as Byleth thanked her for that. “There now, is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving after all. Though it is only momentarily, time has stopped.”_ **

****

**_But then Sothis went deep in thought again. “However did I manage that?”_ **

****

**_Byleth quickly grabbed her attention before she went off on one of her tangents. She really doesn’t want to be kept here. “What happens when time resumes?”_ **

****

**_“Well the axe will tear into your flesh and you would meet your end. Or if what you claim is true, it would shatter against you. But I’m not willing to gamble that chance just yet if you’ll forgive my hesitance.”_ **

****

**_She groaned loudly sitting back on her throne. “How dare you drag me into this! Ugh, what to do…..”_ **

****

**_Smiling, Byleth then had an idea looking up to Sothis. “Why not turn back time? Best of both worlds!”_ **

****

**_Sothis shared the woman’s smile as she stood up. “Of course! I must turn back the hands of time!”_ **

****

**_A large glyph appeared in front of Sothis as she observed it with a hand on her chin. “Hmmmm…… yes I think it can be done. You really are quite troublesome. I cannot rewind time far, but all is well. You are aware of what’s to come, so you can try something else for better results.”_ **

****

**_“Now go.” Sothis exclaimed waving her hand dismissively. “Yes, you who bears the flames within and…… tail of monkey. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers you seek.”_ **

* * *

  
A swirling void enveloped Byleth as she saw seconds and minutes rewind before it went back to when she knocked Kostas to the ground who jumped up again.

“I am Kostas! I won’t be beaten by some punks! You’ll die!”

“You got this boss!” His men cheered as he charged towards Edelgard again. But he didn’t take two steps this time before a ball of light crashed into his chest knocking him out. Edelgard looked over to her left in disbelief to see smoke coming from Byleths hand.

_‘Was that magic? No…… it wasn’t. How did she do that?’_

Edelgard then snapped out of her thoughts as she was reunited with her fellow classmates who smiled at each other. But their smiles turned to horror as they saw an arrow collide with Byleths head sending her to the ground. They whipped over to see an archer shakily hold his bow before collapsing falling unconscious.

“Oh no…. there’s no way she survived that. We better tell Jeralt of this casualty.” Dimitri looked down in sadness at their fallen comrade.

…..Until they heard a groan of pain and the three stepped back screaming, like they saw a ghost as Byleth sat up rubbing her head. “Ooooow! That really hurt. You guys okay?”

Claude looked down at her side to see the arrow head shattered from the impact. “You certainly like to surprise us huh? Got any other hidden powers you can show us? How about that little light show you gave the leader?”

Jeralt ride up on his horse and narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t meant to use that-“

“The Knights of Seiros are here! We will cut you down for terrorising our students!”

_‘……..Why did they have to show up now?’_ Jeralt sighed as the Knights leader sent off the squad to round up any running bandits and ran up to check on the students. Byleth tilted her head at her fathers reaction as the Knight let out a hearty laugh.

“Captain Jeralt? It is you! My goodness, it has been ages! Don’t you remember me? It’s Alois! Your old right hand man! Well, that’s how I always thought of myself anyways.”

This was all new to Byleth. She never knew her father was a knight, let alone the supposed leader of one. Alois kept talking as she heard a voice in her head.

_‘Well, well, well. It seems you weren’t exaggerating your durability after all. I was worried for nothing. But my point still stands. Do not think you are invincible. But I do agree with that young man. That wasn’t magic you used. No, that was something else entirely. Just how did you do that?’_

_‘My father taught me how to use it.’_ Byleth replied as she wasn’t listening to her father and Alois conversing. The girl in her head kept listening as she continued. ‘ _He said my mother taught him how to use it, and he then taught me.’_

_‘How curious.’_ Sothis said before letting out a big yawn. _‘All this talking and thinking has made me sleepy.’_

“…..I insist you return to the Monastery with me!”

Wait. What? She wheeled around to see Alois declared that as Jeralt sighed, as if knowing this would happen.

“Garreg Mach Monastery. I suppose this was inevitable.”

Alois turned towards Byleth and observed her. “And what of you? Are you the captains child?”

“That is correct. My name is Byleth.” She bowed deeply to the knight as Jeralt smiled.

“Is that so? Well, you do share a same kind of air as the captain.”

His eyes then bugged out as he stepped back in disbelief, the three students doing the same making the two mercenaries very confused. “You have a tail?!”

……..oh right.

“Kid, I told you keep it hidden.” Jeralt groaned with a palm on his forehead as Byleth looked down sheepishly as sure enough, her tail was moving around.

“Father you know it makes it cramp up!” She argued weakly but made it curl around her waist once again. “Besides, you promised you would train me to help its durability!”

Recovering from his shock, Alois cleared his throat. “If I may, you could do lots of training if you join me in coming to the Monastery with the captain! What do you say?”

Byleth was silent as she pondered her options. “Are there strong opponents?”

“Oh yes! Many tough knights and instructors at the Monastery!”

“And food?”

“All the food you could want!”

Jeralt groaned again as stars appeared in his daughters eyes. Alois was going to regret that. Especially since there was no way he could convince Byleth not to go. Alois noticed his troubled expression.

“What’s wrong captain? Not trying to run away are we?”

“Even I wouldn’t run from the Knights of Seiros…… though do me a favour.”

“Anything captain. What do you need?”

“Just make sure the cooks get a raise when we arrive.”

Alois had a very confused expression on as he and Jeralt walked away.

_‘The Knights of Seiros? They do seem rather skilled.’_ Sothis said but then noticed the three students walking up to them.

_‘Ah! It seems your presence is required. Get moving.’_

* * *

  
Edelgard was the first to speak up as Byleth approached. “This has certainly been a strange day for me, but I do appreciate your help back there. Your skills are admirable. You hold a lot of experience and your father….. would that be Jeralt, the Blade-Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever lived.”

She finished her analysis as she looked at the mercenary. “Have I missed anything?”

Byleth scratched her head as she put her coat back on after tossing it away during the fight. “I didn’t know he was a captain.”

Edelgards brows shot up in surprise, not expecting that answer. “How curious. I’d wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed.”

“There have been a lot of fascinating details today!” Claude smiled with a hand on his hip. “You are coming with us to the Monastery right? Of course you are, I would love to bend your ear as we travel. And believe me, I have a LOT of questions.”

He then remembered that they didn’t mention where they were studying. “Oh yeah, we’re students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it.”

Dimitri and Edelgard gave Claude an unimpressed look as they crossed their arms.

“That would be because you ran off.” Edelgard narrowed her eyes, glaring at him.

This didn’t faze Clare as he shook his head placing a hand on his chest. “Too true. I was the first to make a strategic retreat. It’s really the fault of those two since it would’ve worked out if they didn’t ruin everything. The bandits ended up chasing us because they followed me.”

“Ah so that’s what you were thinking Claude.” Dimitri said clearly not buying his explanation one bit. “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.”

“His intentions were as clear as day.” Edelgard rolled her eyes as she continued. “You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a persons words.”

“Hmph. And you will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and not trust those whom you rely on.”

They were about to get into an argument when Claude suddenly stopped the two deciding to bring their attention to Byleth.

“While I love a debate between their highnesses, I have something much more interesting to analyse.” He said with his hands behind his head.

Dimitri understood as he turned to the mercenary. “Yes, that power of yours is incredible. It made me realise I have a lot to learn. I’ve never seen magic like that before. Where did you learn this?”

“It’s not magic. It’s Ki.” Byleth replied but only received confused looks from the three as they looked at each other.

“Even more interesting.” Edelgard remarked with a thoughtful look. She then stepped forward to Byleth.

“I must ask you to give your power to the Empire for assistance. I should tell you I am no mere student. I am the Adrestian Empire’s-“

“Edelgard, please. Allow me to finish my own proposition first.” Dimitri said to his companion before turning back to Byleth clearing his throat.

“The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please consider returning to the kingdom with me.”

“Woah there you two are being too hasty!” Claude placed a hand on his chest in shock. Obviously trying to cover up as he put an arm around Byleth shaking his head.

“Honestly, trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really. I was planning on having a heartfelt conversation to build up friendship on our way back to the Monastery before we begged for favours.”

“But while we are here and the subject is up, where does your allegiance lie?” Claude smiled at her while she pursed her lips.

_‘Hmm. It seems ones place of birth is quite significant to them, yet they are impressed by you. But do you want to pick?’_ Sothis mentioned in her head as Byleth slinked away from Claudes grasp. She felt like she had to set the record straight.

“Listen. While I am flattered you admire the abilities I possess, I’m afraid I won’t offer loyalty to anyone. I just do mercenary work with my father and want to fight strong opponents.”

The reaction from the group was obviously disappointing as all three tried to hide it. Edelgard chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I see……”

“That’s unfortunate.” Dimitri was staring at the ground not expecting that answer.

“Can’t win them all I guess.” Claude tried to play it off but he was also not happy with that answer.

_‘Perhaps you can teach them how to harness that power? So that they can protect others as well as their Empires and Kingdoms and what-not?’_

Byleth smiled at that suggestion and looked at them. “I know. Why don’t I teach you how to use Ki?”

Blank looks overcame the nobles as they looked at her. “You would do that?”

“But of course. You seem to want to do what’s best for your lands. Why not learn new power?”

Before they could respond however, Alois showed up as his voice boomed over.

“Alright, enough small talk. It’s time to head back to the Monastery!”

“Looks like we will have to pick this up another time. But know I’ll be thinking about it as well as thinking of other questions to ask you, like that tail of yours.” Claude smirked as he winked at her.

They all ran off to join the knights as Byleth sighed. It was a very long day and it wasn’t even morning yet. Though she should be careful with those three. She felt there was more to them.

_‘So you suspect the same? Yes, they do seem like there is more beneath the surface. Subtle for sure but signs nonetheless.’_

Sothis then let out a yawn as she started closing her eyes. _‘I am so sleepy once again…. I may be sleeping but…… I……’_

Byleth heard no more and assumed Sothis went to sleep once again. She slowly walked to the rest of the knights and students before a loud growl sounded through the landscape.

“What is happening?!” Alois shouted as he readied his axe looking around.

“Are we being attacked?”

“Is there an army of beasts?”

“It sounded huge.”

Jeralt sighed but smiled as he calmed everyone down. “Someone is just hungry. Ain’t that right kid?”

Everyone slowly turned to Byleth, as if thinking this was a joke but she just rubbed her neck blushing. “I’m really hungry. Alois, can we maybe eat before we go?”

Still in disbelief, Alois nodded as they prepped to go hunting. Jeralt made it clear they weren’t allowed to eat at the village since Byleth cleared them out. One thing was on everyone’s minds however.

Who was this woman?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished chapter of my new story. This idea really came to me after seeing how Byleth can eat with people ten times in the game, and it sort of evolved.
> 
> So yes, you can probably tell Byleths genetics from that flashback scene at the start. And yes, Jeralt and Byleth know Ki. You saw I put out the idea of the House Leaders learning it. I do have plans on who else will learn it but feel free to make your guesses on who would learn.
> 
> I don’t know how much I want to involve the DBZ cast. I think I would get Kais involved but tell me what would be good.
> 
> And also do you think Byleth will attain that certain legendary form? Stick around to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Part 1: White Clouds

New Faces

_ Location: Garreg Mach Monastery _

__

_It was a relatively peaceful morning at the Monastery. The students were getting ready for their lessons at the Officers Academy and the Knights of Seiros were on patrol looking for potential threats._

_One such officer was Captain Jeralt who came to a stop and ordered his squad to follow suit. They were just outside the Monastery, so backup wasn’t too far away if things went wrong. But that was the problem. Things never went wrong._

_He sighed as he sheathed his sword looking up into the sky. “Jeez. Wouldn’t kill for some excitement every once in a while? This time of peace really is a double edged sword.”_

_Jeralt thought back to how he got into the Knights of Seiros. He took a fatal hit that was meant for the Archbishop, Rhea. That blow would’ve proved to be fatal if it wasn’t for her interference. Not only did she heal him from his injury, but also granted him a Crest in the process. To top all of that off, Rhea granted him a place in the Knights of Seiros. While he wasn’t a devoted follower of the goddess, Jeralt was thankful for the opportunity that was given to him._

_Now he was here as a captain and leading his own squad with one heck of a reputation. But it was boring. There was no danger at all._

_“Captain, I believe we should return to the Monastery!” A younger looking Alois suggested to which Jeralt agreed. There were no signs of danger for now. So nothing to report. As usual. Today however would prove to be different._

_“What’s that in the sky?” One of the guards yelled pointing up as Jeralt looked in the direction. Sure enough, there was something resembling a red dot in the sky. It looked strange, like a red star or a distant sun._

_He narrowed his eyes staring at the dot. Was it just him, or did it feel like it started getting closer……_

_Eyes widening, Jeralt realised where it was going. Instincts kicked in as he screamed at his squad. “GET DOWN! IT’S HEADING TOWARDS US!”_

_Doing as they were told, they all dived to the ground holding onto their necks and braced. They felt an intense wave of heat as the object went sailing over them, before a loud explosion was heard. They all grunted in pain feeling earth hit their armour and prayed nobody got injured._

_Once the earth stopped raining down on them, Jeralt got back up and immediately went to investigate what happened. The rest of the knights from the Monastery came running out too since the explosion was enough to imitate a small earthquake. They didn’t get too far as their captain held out a hand._

_“Everyone stay here. I’m going to go investigate.” Jeralt declared as they arrived at the crater. Alois was understandably reluctant at this command and tried to stop him._

_“But Captain, it could be dangerous! You need backup!”_

_“I do have backup. You’ll all surround the crater just in case things go wrong. Now stay at the edge.”_

_With that goal in mind, Jeralt hopped down and surveyed the damage. “Holy crap…..”_

_There were flames everywhere as well as strange pieces of metal thrown about. He walked over to one and picked it up but groaned loudly in pain dropping it. It was way too hot to even touch it._

_‘What happened here?’ The knight thought before his eyes landed on something at the centre. A person! Was it a victim of the explosion? Jeralt couldn’t be sure. All he knew is that he had to give that person aid._

_He got into a full sprint to get to this person. But the closer he got, the more details he could see of this mysterious individual. It was a female, who had long black hair. Jeralt could see she was wearing this strange armour, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It seemed to fit her figure more than the bulky armour the Knights wire._

_He then noticed something on her waist dropped to the side. Was that a tail? One thing Jeralt deduced is she certainly wasn’t from around here. The fact she came from the sky was a big clue. Then everything clicked together when he looked all around him._

_“Was…… was she the one that caused this?” Jeralt slowed to a stop, now in front of the woman. He saw movement as she started to wake up. At least he could attempt to make sense of this. But then everything kicked off in that moment._

_She sprung up and got in a stance, glaring at him. “Who are you? Did Frieza send you? I’m not going down without a fight!”_

_Confusion overtook Jeralt as he walked forward. “I’ve no clue who this Frieza is, I just want some answers.”_

_Sitri growled eyeing him down and wrapped her tail around her waist “You think I’m going to buy that? You’re probably one of his scouting party here to send me back!”_

_That’s when Jeralt noticed a few key features. She had shrapnel in her chest, a giant cut on her head, and her pupils were dilated. “Damn it, she’s delirious.”_

_He held up his hands slowly and walked Sitri who was gritting her teeth in pain. “Listen. I don’t know any Frieza or any of that junk. What I do know is that you’re hurt, and you need medical attention. So why don’t you come with me and we can- URK!”_

_Jeralt didn’t get to finish his sentence when Sitri charged forward landing a punch straight into his jaw, causing him to be sent flying back. The force of impact tearing up the ground as he slowly came to a stop. “Captain! Are you okay?!”_

_He grunted loudly opening his eyes and saw Alois was running up to him. Slowly picking himself up, he cringed in pain as his whole body was screaming at him to stop. “Damn. I feel like I just got trampled by a group of bears…..”_

_“I guess you could say you can’t…… BEAR it?” Alois let out a huge grin but Jeralt just give him a look that would murder him._

_“Is this really the time Alois?”_

_“I couldn’t resist Captain! Now onto more important matters, what of this individual?”_

_The girl! Jeralt held his cheek, standing up as he looked towards the crater. “Did anybody go in?!”_

_A frustrated look crossed Alois’s face as he looked to his Captain. “After you were attacked they charged in. I tried to stop them, truly I did!”_

_“Damn it! They’re going to get themselves killed!” Jeralt yelled sprinting back to the crater, even though he felt that he could black out any second, he had to push on. He slid down the crater once again and ran to the spot._

_Jeralt made it back just in time to see his men fighting Sitri. Though it clearly was a one sided battle. Even with her injuries, their weapons were doing nothing. Jeralt even watched a spear shatter when it attempted to impale her._

_That’s when he saw her fists crackling with lightning. Was she using magic? No, this was different. This wasn’t magic at all. Her body started glowing, and seeing something was wrong, his men_

_stopped attacking. Scared for their lives, they started to run when she gritted her teeth letting out a roar._

_“GO AWAAAAAAAAAY!!!!” Thrusting her hands in the air, Jeralt saw a blinding white light spread out from the Saiyan woman. The last thing he heard before blacking our were the screams of his men._

* * *

_“In the name of the Goddess, what happened?!” A woman who wore regal attire stepped out looking around. This was the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros. Lady Rhea. She could not believe what she was seeing._

_Destruction everywhere. Trees were caught aflame, the very earth was torn apart, but the biggest sight was the crater at the centre. She saw the bodies of the knights that came from the Monastery all knocked out, some injured, but she could not see Jeralts squad anywhere. Her eyes lit up when she saw one survivor just outside the crater._

_It was Alois who had been buried by rubble, he was groaning in pain as his armour was broken off in places from the explosion. The first priority was getting him out of this rubble before asking questions._

_Soon, Rhea managed to help the Knight out of the rubble, despite his protests as she immediately started asking questions. “Alois, what happened? Most of the Knights of Seiros are unconscious, injured, and I dread to think of any are dead. There’s a giant crater outside the Monastery, and on top of all of that. What was that bright light?”_

_Alois had no words as he sat there, trying to contemplate himself on what happened. “I am not sure. We were on patrol. Nothing was happening. We were about to head back and report to you when we saw this red dot in the sky. The Captain……. The Captain!”_

_He scrambled to his feet rushing to the crater with Rhea trying to stop him. “Stop! You’re hurt, you have too many injuries!”_

_“The Captain was in range of that explosion! I need to make sure he is okay!”_

_Rhea followed after Alois and saw something that made her stomach churn when she got to the bottom. There were charred corpses that no doubt belonged to the Knights that were down here. The armour they wore were fused to their skin, and every knights face was stuck in a permanent expression of pain and horror._

_She has seen many things, but this was one of the most gruesome as Rhea covered her mouth trying not to throw up. Eventually she fought back the need to do it and let out a sigh clasping her hands together. “May the Goddess help you all find peace.”_

_“Lady Rhea! Why are you down here?! It’s dangerous!” She whipped her head around to see Alois dragging Jeralt out the dirt. He had severe burns on his skin but seemed alive. No doubt it was his crest that saved him._

_“All this destruction…… what happened?”_

_“I believe the cause was that woman over there. Her power is unlike anything I have seen.” Alois pointed at the woman who laid face down on the ground._

_Rhea tuned out the Knight at this point and slowly walked towards the woman, ignoring his pleas to stay away. She knelt down and observed this stranger. Multiple injuries, and her hands were completely black due to the intense heat she produced. A normal mortal would perish at this point._

_……..wait. That’s it._

_The Archbishop smiled brightly as there was an opportunity here. A strong mortal soul like this one would be a fantastic vessel. “Mother….. I swear, you will come back.”_

_“Lady Rhea!” She was snapped out of her thoughts as Alois was behind her still holding on to Jeralt. “What happens now?”_

_“……..We will never speak of this ever again.”_

_His face dropped in shock as Rhea picked up the young woman. “Send for reinforcements to handle the injured and dead. Also, send Jeralt to my chambers. I will personally see to his healing, as well as this woman. And we will never speak if this incident again. Can I count on you?”_

_Alois understood, looking around the crater and spoke to her. “This was simply an act of heretics of the Church who used fire magic that they had no experience in.”_

_Rhea smiled warmly, nodding at him. “Thank you Alois. Now, let’s get started.”_

_“At once Lady Rhea.”_

_The young Knight walked off with Jeralt in tow who was completely knocked out and Alois struggled to keep him up. Rhea can easily heal him. She has done so before already. But her attention drifted to the alien girl in her arms._

_‘Mother…… this time…… it’ll work…….’_

* * *

  
“Hey, you listening?”

Alois was snapped out of his thoughts as he realised where he was. He was escorting the students back to the Monastery, and Jeralt was beside him.

“My apologies Captain, I was simply……. Looking back to the old days.”

Jeralt let out a grunt as he smiled. “Well, if you wanna talk about the old days, how about the time you got drunk and tried to hit on three women at once?”

“C-Captain, I’m sure the men don’t want to hear about this!”

“Oh yes we do!” The men cheered as Alois let out a nervous chuckle, looking down in embarrassment but allowed Jeralt to tell the story as they walked onwards.

Meanwhile at the very back, Byleth was with the three Nobles who commented on her hunting skills.

“Never before, have I seen someone take down a bear with just their hands.” Edelgard said with Dimitri and Claude voicing their agreements.

“I’m still kind of hungry though…..” Byleth whined. She had to share most of the bear meat. It wasn’t fair! She caught the bear.

_‘Don’t be rude!’_ Sothis scolded Byleth in her head. _‘You cannot hog an entire bear to yourself!’_

“Oh yes, that reminds me. This will be your first time at the Monastery.” Dimitri piped in smiling. “I would be happy to show you around.”

Claude let out a chuckle, looking at Byleth. “It really is Fódlan in a nutshell. The good and the bad.”

“Like it or not, we will be there soon enough.” Edelgard piped in still staring ahead which earned a look from the woman. “And what will you do when we get there Byleth?”

“Aside from teaching us that Ki thing you do?” Claude grinned with Dimitri nodding in agreement.

“I do have to ask though. Where did you get that tail?”

“I was born with it.” Byleth replied. “Father said it was something I got from my mother.”

Edelgard looked towards the Mercenary and her tail wrapped around her waist. “Interesting.”

They then moved out of the forest as Edelgard had a small smile on her face. “There it is. Garreg Mach Monastery.”

Byleth had to admit it was quite the spectacle. Lush green fields, with a giant monastery at the top. But what caught her attention was this giant hole just outside the walls.

“Yeah, caught me by surprise when I saw that at first.” Claude said as the four observed it. “The Knights did mention what happened here, but it’s escaping me at the moment. Why not ask them?”

This was a good idea to Byleth who ran ahead catching up to her father and Alois, she then asked them what had happened here.

“Oh yes, it was a failed assassination attempt on the Archbishops life. They bit off more than they could chew and accidentally detonated themselves.”

While an interesting tale, Byleth did notice the look Alois and Jeralt gave one another. She knew they were hiding something. What it was, she wasn’t too sure.

_‘Do you believe that there is a conspiracy afoot?’_ Sothis asked, yawning loudly.

_‘I am inclined to agree however. What magic would cause a crater this big? I can only think of a few and those wouldn’t be readily accessible. Perhaps you are right in suspecting.’_

Byleth nodded, now following her father through the gates. The three students had split off from the group after she asked about the crater. No doubt to get back to their classes. It was a big place and Byleth had to keep herself in check. Her blood was boiling in excitement seeing the Knights spar, but she knew that she had to wait.

“Rhea’s here.” She looked to Jeralt who had been staring up at the tower. Following his glance, she spotted a woman with luscious green hair and calculating Emerald eyes. It unsettled Byleth a little. Like she was watching every move she made.

“I wonder……. did the flow of time bring you here?” Rhea muttered to herself watching the father daughter pair keep on moving until they arrived in the audience chamber. Jeralt let out a long sigh taking in the large space that he used to be familiar with.

“It’s been years since I’ve last set eyes on this place. But to be forced to see her now…”

“Is it the lady who was watching us?” Byleth asked, still observing the audience chamber and seeing the banners hosting a symbol. No doubt of the Church.

“Yes. That’s the Archbishop…. Lady Rhea. As you know, the majority of folk in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros.” Jeralt started explaining, adjusting parts of his armour that were starting to feel loose in places. “The leader of that ridiculously large religious organisation is the Archbishop, Lady Rhea.”

“You don’t seem to be a fan of this organisation, father.”

Jeralt was about to respond when two figures appeared. One, they knew was Lady Rhea. The other one however, was new to Byleth.

This man had the same hair colour as Rhea, albeit more of an emerald green rather than the light green belonging to the Archbishop. He also sported a beard and seemed to hold himself in high regard.

‘ _He might be someone higher up in the Church._ ’ Byleth thought to herself.

“I thank you both for your patience. My name is Seteth, I am an advisor to the Archbishop.” The man now known as Seteth bowed to them while Rhea looked towards Jeralt.

“It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder….. was it the will of the Goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?”

“Forgive my silence all these years.” Jeralt bowed to the Archbishop before standing straight again. “Much has happened since we last spoke.”

Rhea smiled looking over at Byleth who had focused her attention now. “So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?”

“Yes. Born many years after I left this place.” Jeralt said, and Byleth noticed how tense he looked. But why? “I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child… but I’m afraid we lost her to illness.”

Now that she thought about it, Byleth saw Rhea with a tense look in her eyes. What was happening here? But the Archbishop kept a neutral face before responding.

“I see. My condolences. As for you.” Turning towards the woman, Rhea gave a warm smile. “I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?”

“It’s…… Byleth ma’am.” She replied giving a bow just like her father did.

“A fine name indeed. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy.”

Byleth rubbed the back of her head looking to the side. “Really it was nothing. Just had to do the right thing.”

_‘On top of wanting to crack a couple of heads.’_ Sothis quipped to further reveal what Byleth’s motivation was.

Jeralt shook his head, sighing as Rhea looked over at him. “Jeralt. You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?”

“I do. You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros don’t you? I’ll think about it, but I feel I’ve served them long enough.”

Rhea nodded, a little disappointed that he didn’t fully agree. “I expected Alois to have already ask this of you. But I will have Seteth discuss this. I must step away for now. Any questions you have, Seteth will try his best to answer. Until then, farewell.”

The three watched as Rhea took her leave. Jeralt looked over at his daughter and motioned to the door.

“Run along kid. I’ll discuss things with Seteth for the time being, and you can do some training or explore. I’ll come to you once I’m done.”

Byleth nodded, before bowing to Seteth and like Rhea, left the chambers too.

Once she was out in the courtyard, Byleth considered what to do. She could do some training, but she would honestly rather do it with her father and not by herself. It just wasn’t the same when she was alone.

“ _Oh come now, do you think of anything other than training?_ ” A flash of green light appeared to her left and appearing from it was Sothis who floated in the air with her arms crossed.

Byleth hummed not knowing what to do. “I don’t know this area very well. And I’d rather wait for my father.”

“ _Then I suppose you better get comfortable and wait if that’s the case._ ”

With that plan in mind, Byleth agreed and sat on a bench looking at the fishing spot. Perhaps they could do that at some point if Jeralt really was going to be rejoining the Knights of Seiros.

* * *

  
“You want her to teach at the Academy?” Jeralt had a bewildered expression at Seteth news, who let out a sigh.

“I do not see the reasoning for this either, but we are short of a professor when the last one who was with the students that night turned tail and ran. Alois recommended your daughter for the position and Lady Rhea seemed very eager to accept.”

Jeralt placed a hand on his chin, closing his eyes in thought as Seteth continued. “But let’s move on to negotiations if you rejoining the Knights of-“

“There’s no need. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Seteth stayed silent and kept a neutral face as Jeralt looked at him. “I know my daughter, and she is not qualified to teach. Be an instructor maybe, but not a teacher. As such, I will take the position instead.”

Jeralt watched for his reaction as Seteth looked at his notes but then nodded. “I agree. This seems like a more reasonable option, even if you don’t have the proper experience.”

“I was the Captain here, I know how to teach.”

“Regardless, your daughter would have to do something here at the Academy if you are taking the job originally meant for her.”

“She can be an instructor.” Jeralt offered folding his arms. “She specialises in hand to hand combat but I did teach her how to use other weaponry. She just refuses to use them.”

Seteth hummed while scribbling down those facts on his notes and then asked. “Is she able to assist the Knights of Seiros on missions?”

“She will, but she lacks the ability to work as a team. Byleth mostly fights on her own, unless I’m there with her.”

“And lastly, as a mercenary, she would be required to fulfil certain contracts we hand out. Is she capable of this?”

Jeralt went silent at this part and frowned. “Are there any that will take place at night?”

Feeling confused at this question, Seteth nodded. “I imagine there will be some that would take place at night, yes.”

“I only have one condition regarding this. She has a curfew on certain nights when the full moon is out. For our safety.”

Now this was catching the advisors attention. He placed his notes down and raised an eyebrow. “A curfew? Why?”

“Just trust me.” Jeralt said looking him straight in the eye. “No matter what, don’t ever let her look at a full moon. Or it’ll be bad for all of us.”

Seteth felt a chill go down his spine. He could tell how serious he was, and decided to trust him on this. “Very well. If there’s nothing else to ask or request, I believe we are done here.”

He stood up from the desk they were at and extended a hand out to shake with Jeralt accepting it in full. “Welcome, Professor Jeralt. I’ll go and provide the proper paperwork. I trust you can see yourself out.”

Jeralt nodded bidding him farewell and leaving to go find his daughter. Now by himself, Seteth looked at his notes and kept thinking about Jeralt’s strange request for his daughter. “I will need to look into this at a later time.”

* * *

“Is everything okay father?” Byleth asked when she saw Jeralt approach her, sitting down on the bench.

“Everything’s ok kid. We’re going to be staying here from now on. I’ve taken up a teaching position, and you’ll be an instructor.”

Byleth looked down, having been reminded of what she said she would do with the three nobles. “Dad, those three wanted me to teach them Ki. Should I?”

Jeralt let out a grunt, staring out at the fishing spot just as Byleth did. “You’re an adult now kid. So I trust you can make that decision on your own, but just remember. Ki isn’t something that should be taken lightly. It can be very destructive like-“

“Like that crater outside the Monastery.”

She watched Jeralt stiffen at what was said as Byleth continued. “That wasn’t fire magic was it? That was Ki. Does someone else know it?”

Letting out a long sigh, Jeralt leaned back staring at the sky. “You’re just as perceptive as I taught you. That was indeed Ki, but the person that made the crater isn’t around anymore.”

“Did you know them dad?”

“Mhm. She was really powerful, I still have injuries to this day from that attack. It felt like a beast stomped on me. But she wasn’t evil, she was just scared and was trying to defend herself.”

Byleth kept looking at him before he chuckled. “But hey, I’ll tell you all about that another time. Just promise me another thing. Whatever you teach the brats, you don’t let them stray away from the right path.”

“I promise father.” Byleth nodded to which Jeralt smiled in response.

“Byleth!”

“Oh, speak of the devil.” He commented seeing Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude approach the pair.

Dimitri gave a bow in greetings smiling at Byleth. “We heard the news that the two of you will be staying here. I suppose it would help your teachings wouldn’t it Byleth. That is, if you are okay with that.”

Now that was the big question. Byleth remembered the crater and knew how dangerous Ki can get. On the other hand, she would be able to supervise them to make sure they don’t get in over their head. And the cherry on top, is that they could be potentially great sparring partners. It was a win-win!

“Yes, I would be happy to teach you three. But we won’t start until you’re all settled in and have your classes set up. I’ll come get you when it’s time.”

The three before her started smiling, and she could’ve sworn she saw a shimmer in their eyes, like they were acting giddy over this. But then her stomach started rumbling again as she whined.

“Perhaps we could have lunch then? As a celebration of this extracurricular activity. I know you like food Teach.” Claude suggested smiling but that name confused Byleth.

“Why did you call me Teach?”

“Well, can’t call you Byleth if you’re gonna be our mentor in this Ki training. So why not use that name?”

“I agree.” Edelgard but then glared at Claude. “But I feel a more appropriate name would be Professor rather than ‘Teach’.”

“I also concur. Much more formal.” Dimitri added as Claude gave a shrug chuckling to himself.

“If it pleases your highnesses, go right ahead. But I’ll stick with Teach-“

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we can sort out names later! Let’s get lunch!” Byleth yelled sprinting to the dining hall. Jeralt just smiled, shaking his head.

“You kids better catch up. Or else there won’t be anything left.”

They thought he was joking, but they would soon learn just how accurate he was.

* * *

The dining hall was completely silent. Save for the sounds of chewing and slurping coming from a certain mercenary who was currently shovelling rice into her mouth.

Dimitri, Claude and Edelgard just sat there in shocked silence. Almost not being able to see their new friend and mentor on account of the empty bowls and dishes that were stacked up. Their own meals completely forgotten as Byleth move on to some fried pork.

“Jeez……. Where does it all go?” Claude muttered to himself completely mesmerised by this woman’s appetite.

“P-Professor Byleth? Don’t you think you should slow down?” Edelgard was unusually nervous. Who could blame her? She was afraid Byleth would murder her if she interrupted her eating fest.

The woman in question stopped eating with a clump of noodles hanging out of her mouth, before nodding and slurping up the rest and drinking the broth that was in the bowl.

What baffled the three even further, was she started using a silk cloth to clean her mouth. As if she had a tea party rather than a meal fit for a small village. The chefs went over to clean up and Byleth then asked.

“Can I have another bowl please?”

Everyone else screamed in disbelief falling off their chairs, when Jeralt came in ruffling his daughters head. “Heh. These reactions never get old. You mind coming with me for a minute kid? Need to talk to you.”

Byleth quickly nodded following her father outside, not noticing the looks she was getting.

Outside the cafeteria, Jeralt leaned on a wall smiling. “Well, it’s all settled. I’m a professor now. Who would’ve thought, huh?”

“I’m sure you’ll do great dad.” Byleth said giving a smile patting his chest.

“Well, we can only hope. But I wanted to talk to you. You need to watch yourself around Rhea.”

Confusion was across Byleths face, not understanding this statement. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s not right with her. She looked downright pissed that I took the teaching position. Don’t let your guard down around her, understand?”

“I will dad. Don’t worry.”

He gave a relieved smile as they walked to the training grounds. “I would train with you, but I gotta go attend this meeting about who’s gonna lead what house.”

Giving a nod, Byleth took her coat off tossing it to the ground. “Do you have an idea on which house to lead?”

“Yeah……. I think I’m gonna pick the Black Eagles. That Edelgard girl is in that one right? I’ll monitor her too when you’re training them. Right, you get started and try not to go overboard.”

Byleth waved her father goodbye and started doing kicks to an imaginary opponent. She preferred not doing this to training dummies as she ended up destroying most of them, and then that would be her money spent on replacing them.

“Those are impressive moves.”

She turned around to see a woman leaning on a pillar watching her. She had short dark hair and piercing purple eyes analysing her kicks and punches as the woman approached her. “So you’re the new instructor. Daughter of Professor Jeralt. It’s good to meet another fellow mercenary. Name’s Shamir.”

Byleth slowly grasped Shamirs hand to shake it and introduced herself. “Byleth. I was just doing some training, would you care to join me?”

Shamir gave a small chuckle motioning to her quiver. “No offence but I’m more suited to the rear rather than up close.”

“I can do that too! My power is suited for anything!”

“You don’t say?” Shamir eyed her coat and went to pick it up for Byleth. “Tell you what. Next contract, we’ll head out together and you can show me this power of yours.”

But then she made a face, trying to pick up the coat but couldn’t. “What the hell? What’s going on?!”

Shamir used both hands and managed to lift it but struggled to move this piece of clothing, eventually having to drop it. “What is that? It weighs a ton!”

“Oh I just have gravity hexes put on it.”

A bewildered look was the response Byleth got. “Gravity hexes? As in what they give criminals as a form of torture?”

“Mhm. It helps with training……… that’s it! You’ve helped me a lot! Thank you!”

Byleth runs to her coat and picked it up like it weighed nothing. Bidding farewell, she sprinted off to find her father to discuss plans. Shamir looked at the ground to find the dent the coat had left and looked back to where Byleth ran off.

“This might be interesting. I certainly look forward to seeing this power. Who knows, maybe I can find out where I can get this for myself.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a good place to end it off. I did have some other stuff but decided to save it for next chapter. So yeah, Jeralt is going to be a Professor in Byleths place. I don’t want to be truly faithful to the games and so want Byleth to have a little more freedom with her adventures. As you saw, she met Shamir who is expressing an interest and now Seteth knows not to let her near a full moon.
> 
> I hope you all like the flashback scenes. I do like Sitri and her design but felt she could have some more attention. Sothis will also be getting a more prominent role I hope.
> 
> So yeah, I’ll confirm straight away who will be learning Ki so far:
> 
> Edelgard
> 
> Dimitri
> 
> Claude
> 
> And obviously, not everyone will be learning so try and guess who would be next to learn it.
> 
> Lastly, are there any techniques from Dragon Ball you want to show up here? Let me know which ones.
> 
> See you in the next one.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 1: White Clouds

Training Begins

…

_Jeralts vision was blurry after regaining consciousness and it took a couple of seconds for his eyes to fully adjust. He realised that he was in his quarters, in his own bed. Groaning, he slowly got up to a seating position clutching his head in pain._

_“Man….. was I drinking? My head is killing me…….”_

_But then that’s when it all started coming back to him. The woman. Her strength. Punching his face. That blinding light. Just what happened out there?_

_“Captain! You’re awake!”_

_He turned to his right to see Alois with a relieved look on his face, pulling up a stool as Jeralt groaned. “The hell happened?”_

_His fellow Knights face dropped once asked that question and let out a sigh. “A massacre Captain. We had to bury so many of our brothers who lost their lives. You’re still not fully recovered yourself. The nurse believes you’ll have scars from those burns.”_

_“……and the girl?”_

_“Lady Rhea saw to it she healed the girl personally, though I don’t understand her intentions of healing that murdering dastard!”_

_“Alois.” Jeralt looked him in the eye. “That woman was scared. I saw it myself. She was injured, and seemed to think someone was after her. She was just trying to defend herself.”_

_“I…….” Alois started to say but sighed looking down realising his logic. “Of course Captain. I apologise for acting out of line.”_

_“Don’t sweat it, but I do want to answers from her.” Jeralt stated, now moving out of the bed, with Alois trying to keep him down._

_“Captain, please! You need to rest!”_

_“You of all people know it’ll take a lot more than this to keep me down, now quit fighting.”_

_Jeralt got out of the bed and walked over to where his armour lay, wincing at the tender mark on his face. ‘Jeez, I’m going to be feeling that for a while.’_

_Soon after getting dressed, he made his way out the ward ignoring nurses and doctors yelling at him to come back. But he couldn’t. He needed to know more about this woman, and Rhea had her._

_Speaking of whom, was currently praying in her chambers and didn’t even turn around when he entered into her chambers. “Greetings Jeralt. I hope you have made a good recovery giving how you are walking about so soon.”_

_“How long have I been out?”_

_“Almost a week. But I assume that you’re not here to make small talk.”_

_Jeralt nodded, grunting as his injuries still impaired his ability to move a little but kept going closer. “Where is she Rhea?”_

_“She is right here. Sleeping. The Goddess was kind to her.”_

_Walking beside Rhea, Jeralts eyes widened at what he saw. This wasn’t right. The woman before him had dark green hair and looked paler than usual and had this silk white gown. He looked over to the Archbishop and narrowed his eyes._

_“What the hell did you do to her?”_

_“The same thing I did to you.” Rhea replied still praying._

_“Cut the crap Rhea. When you healed me, my whole appearance didn’t change did it?”_

_Giving out a sigh, Rhea stood up and placed her hands in front of her looking at the knight. “You saw her injuries for yourself? Then you would know how dire the situation was. I couldn’t begin to count the amount of wounds she had, it was a miracle that she was still breathing. But……. my healing wasn’t enough.”_

_Jeralt was confused at this confession. “What do you mean? She’s still alive from what I can tell.”_

_“Precisely. She is alive, but far more frail and weaker than when she attacked you. Also, she has continuously mumbled about a ‘Frieza’. Are you able to shed some light on this mysterious person?”_

_“I’m just as stumped as you are.” Jeralt replied shrugging. “Whoever this person was, she was desperate to get away.”_

_The two then heard a groan and looked to see Sitri waking up and coughing. Her eyes fixated on Jeralt as she scrambled off the bed ready to fight but collapsed coughing violently. Rhea knelt down beside her and rubbed her back._

_“Please, my child. Do not strain yourself. You are safe, nobody will harm you.”_

_“Who are you people? Are you here to take me away?”_

_“Listen.” Jeralt knelt beside her. “We don’t know any Frieza. Ok? Now let’s just be calm about this.”_

_Sitri slowly got up to a sitting position as she then noticed her green hair from looking at a mirror. “What did you do to me?”_

_“I saved you child. You were at Deaths door when we found you. It was the only way to save you, but fear not. You have my blood inside you now. It boosted your recovery.”_

_Rhea watched Sitri observe herself and beamed. ‘This is perfect. It’s all lining up. Mother, you will be brought back. This is guaranteed to succeed!’_

_“Why do I feel weaker?”_

_Jeralt scratched his beard looking at her. “Rhea says she managed to prevent you from dying, but the damage was too much.”_

_“It is the truth.” Rhea declared looking at her. “You are severely weakened. As such, I suggest you stay here at the Monastery. You would be safe from dangers such as this Frieza individual.”_

_Sitri just sat there staring blankly as it all hit her at once. “Gine……. My family……. My friends…….. they’re all gone. Every single one.”_

_She broke down crying into her hands as Rhea looked to Jeralt. “Could you please escort her to her quarters? I imagine she is too overwhelmed at the moment.”_

_Nodding, Jeralt lead the Saiyan girl through the Monastery who just kept looking down. “You know, I never got your name in the time we’ve spent. My name is Jeralt.”_

_“…….Sitri. My name is Sitri.”_

_“Right. Hey….. I’m sorry about whatever happened to you.”_

_“Don’t be. You were not the one who destroyed everything.”_

_Jeralt looked around trying to think of what to say. “So where in Fodlàn are you from?”_

_This caught Sitri’s attention looking up at the taller man. “Have your kind never travelled through space?”_

_“……No? You’re telling me you came from out there?”_

_“I would’ve assumed it was obvious based on my pod….. oh god, it’s destroyed isn’t it?”_

_Sitri then realised she was in a cosy little room as Jeralt shut the door. “Yeah, when I got to you it was just hunks of strange metal. Though….. I did get you something from the wreck, I kept a secret though.”_

_Reaching into his satchel, Jeralt pulled out a small device which made Sitri gasp loudly. “My scouter!”_

_“Yeah, I found it in the wreck. Though it seems there are some things busted on it.”_

_He handed it over to Sitri who looked over it and sighed in relief. “Just the communication component is gone. That’s fine, I don’t need that. Especially with me hiding.”_

_“So…..what exactly is the function of that?”_

_As if everything that happened this past week didn’t happen, Sitri brightened up. It seems that she loves explaining technology. “It can be used for a lot of things. The biggest feature is measuring power levels.”_

_She then had an idea putting it on her ear, letting the green glass go over her left eye. “Hey, if you want, I can measure your power level!”_

_Jeralt just stood there as Sitri pressed a button, where the scouter started beeping and analysed him before stopping completely. “Hm. Power level of 197. Not too bad.”_

_“Really? What’s your one?”_

_Sitri smiled taking off the scouter and handing it to Jeralt. “Just place it on your left ear and press the button. It should do the rest.”_

_Nodding to show he took in that information, Jeralt did as he was told and watched it calculate Sitri. His eyes widened at what he saw when it completed its analysis. “T-That can’t be right! 780?!”_

_“Oh…… I suppose I have gotten weaker now haven’t I?” She said solemnly before starting to cough. “Back on my planet, I was around 2000. At least, that’s the average amongst us Saiyans.”_

_Jeralt couldn’t believe what he was hearing. More than ten times his own?! “Jeez, and here I thought I was quite strong. Then you show up and made me look like an ant.”_

_Sitri sat on her bed brushing her green locks out of her face smiling. “Don’t be silly. If you train hard, your power will increase. Though power was a big staple on Planet Vegeta class system_

_“You have me interested. Would you tell me more about this Planet Vegeta?”_

_Jeralt then noticed she wasn’t listening, instead she was looking at a potted plant on the windowsill. “What is this?”_

_“Oh that? It’s a carnation. Why?”_

_She smiled lifting the pot to bring it closer to her vision. “I always had a soft spot for the vegetation on planets. Okay, I will make you a deal.”_

_He looked at Sitri who smiled, despite looking paler than before. “If you bring me some unique flowers, as well as seeds. I’ll share some stories of Planet Vegeta. Sound like a fair trade?”_

_“Yeah. Sounds fair, but you should get some rest. You look like you’re gonna pass out any second.”_

_Sitri nodded as Jeralt took his leave, but not before he heard her call his name. He turned around to see her smile._

_“Thank you.”_

_Jeralt smiled back and gave a nod, before he slowly closed the door on his way out. “Man. What a weird week.”_

* * *

…

_“Would you wake up already?!”_

Byleth let out a groan, slowly drifting away from the land of dreams looking at Sothis who hovered in a sitting position looking annoyed.

_“Honestly, there has got to be more to your life than eat, train and sleep. You’re teaching the students today, remember?”_

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Byleth mumbled slowly getting out of bed and getting dressed. “I guess I was up later than I thought trying to figure this lesson out.”

Sothis sighed softly floating next to her partner. _“We have some time. Why don’t you go exploring? You never got the chance to do it yesterday, so why not today?”_

Byleth was about to reply when they heard a knock and a voice. “Miss Byleth? Are you decent?”

The two looked at each other, clearly not expecting visitors today but figured that it would be rude to turn them away. “Come in.”

The mercenary saw a girl walk in carrying a tray full of food. She looked really young and sported bright green hair, similar to Seteth and Rhea. She smiled at Byleth and bowed with extreme difficulty due to holding a tray.

“Good morning Miss Byleth. I am Flayn, Seteths little sister. I saw that you missed breakfast today.”

“What?! I did? Oh no……” Byleth let out a whine staring at the ground to which Sothis face palmed next to her.

Flayn giggled and gestured to the tray she was holding. “Not to worry, I took the liberty to help and made sure to save you some food! I was made aware of your eating habits so I made sure to grab plenty!”

But what Byleth noticed was the strained look hidden behind that kind smile. As well as the shaking of her arms and sweat starting to build up on her forehead. “Is that heavy?”

“Y-Yes it is, can you please take it?” Flayn squeaked now unable to hide her struggle even further.

Byleth nodded slowly taking it off her hands and looked at the food. A variety of breakfast items. It seemed Flayn assumed that she likes everything and so just grabbed whatever she saw. She wouldn’t be wrong though, Byleth does like everything.

Flayn gave another bow smiling again. “I hope you enjoy it Miss Byleth! I need to get back to my brother now.”

Sothis watched her leave and put a finger on her chin humming. _“What a strange girl. So she’s related to Seteth huh? I can see the resemblance. What do you thi-“_

She stopped after seeing Byleth wasn’t listening and was instead eating causing Sothis to growl, but gave up sighing loudly. _“We’ll get started on the lesson after you’re done.”_

* * *

_…_

Byleth heard a knock on the door and was wondering who it would be this time. She was surprised to see Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude standing there smiling.

“Hey Teach! You didn’t forget about us did you?”

”Forget……?” Byleth mumbled scratching her head.

“Yes Professor, classes are over now. We were hoping you would be able to teach us Ki now.” Edelgard explained as Byleth had a bewildered expression.

“I’ve been in here all day?!”

Dimitri let out a nervous chuckle but nodded. “Indeed. We didn’t wish to disturb you, as we know Flayn delivered breakfast to you.”

Byleth slowly stepped out and closed her door. “Alright guys, you’ve waited long enough I guess. Come follow me, we’ll go somewhere more private.”

The three looked at each other and followed Byleth who had her coat off this time around which threw them off. She also had a different outfit consisting of a blue sleeveless top and loose gray pants, as well as black boots. The top did well to show off more of her body,specifically her arms.

“Woah. She is ripped.” Claude whispered to his companions who took in the sight.

They may only see her back, but there was barely any fat on Byleth despite the amount of food she eats. It was all muscle, but not too bulky like Raphael from the Golden Deer. Easy to say, the three were taken aback, and the Adrestian Princess was too absorbed into staring at them.

“Edelgard, I hear that my father picked to lead the Black Eagles?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Edelgard answers with a light blush. “Y-Yes. He is getting us ready for the mock battle next week.”

“Hm. Then let’s hope you can learn quickly, so you can show it off.”

Dimitri then noticed that they were no longer at the Monastery, but instead in a field filled with flowers. “Professor, where are you taking us?”

“I told you, somewhere peaceful. I believe this is a good spot. Now sit down you three.”

The three held their breath as they kneeled onto the grass. This was it. They were finally going to learn. Byleth, however, struggled to explain how it works.

“Right…… so Ki…….. is inside us. It’s inside everyone, and if you train it properly…… then you can use it?”

All she got in response were three very confused looks. Groaning, Byleth tried to think as she kneeled down in front of them. That’s when she had an idea.

“It’s like this.” Cupping her hands together, Byleth took a few deep breath as they saw her hands start to glow. Soon enough a little ball of energy formed the size of a baseball as she held it out for them to see.

“Woah…….”

“It…… feels warm.”

“So this is inside us?”

Finally getting somewhere Byleth nodded. “It does require concentration but you should be able to locate it and bring it out. That’s why I brought you out here, to get peace and quiet from the Monastery.”

“Alright, sounds simple enough.” Claude said as they all closed their eyes taking deep breathes.

“Now stay focused. Empty your mind. And just try to find your energy.”

They all did as they were told and tried to think of nothing, brows furrowed in concentration trying to understand what Byleth was telling them to do.

“Just empty your thoughts. Find the power. And bring it out.”

They opened their eyes and focused their attention on their cupped hands, as if trying to will the energy to magically appear. “Edelgard, Dimitri. You’re too tense. Loosen your shoulders. Claude, you’re too distracted. Stay focused.”

They let the soft breeze of the wind help guide them as they then felt something inside them. Like a heartbeat but warmer. This must be getting them closer.

Byleth watched them grunt and focus, sweat starting to build up on the house leaders as she saw something in their hands. It was tiny, but seemingly at once, all three managed to draw out just a small bit of energy. She smiled in glee as she imagined how far they could go.

But it was all they could manage as they fell onto all fours panting heavily. Byleth walked up to them and gave them a pat on the head. “Congratulations! You drew out your Ki!”

“I……. I feel like I just ran a mile.” Edelgard panted wiping sweat off her brow.

“I agree. That was more difficult than training I’ve been through.” Dimitri remarked catching his breath.

“Still though, at least we actually did it right Teach?”

Byleth nodded at Claude’s remark clapping her hands together. “And all in the span of three hours.”

This made the students freeze in shock. “THREE HOURS?!”

“Yes? Why is that so shocking?” Byleth inquired tilting her head in confusion.

“W-Why didn’t you say anything?!” Dimitri yelled.

“Lady Edelgard!”

“Your Highness!”

“Claude! There you are!”

They all turned to see people Byleth haven’t seen before approaching them. Must be from their respective houses.

One was a tall male with black hair and pale skin. He had lime green eyes which seemed to be looking at every potential weakness that Byleth had. It made her wonder just how many people were looking at her like that. Everyone was on edge nowadays. This was Hubert von Vestra, vassal of Edelgard.

The man next to him had dark skin and short gray hair tied in a ponytail. His blue eyes only fixated on Dimitri checking time make sure he was okay. This was Dedue Molinaro, the Faerghus Prince’s vassal.

The last person there was a girl with long pink hair tied into pigtails and pink eyes. She had been looking at Claude as if wondering why he was sitting about out of breath. This was Hilda Valentine Goneril, classmate of Claude and member of the Golden Deer.

Hubert was the first to approach and gave a short bow. “Lady Edelgard, you did not inform me you would be out here. I assumed the worst.”

“As did I your Highness. I wouldn’t forgive myself if harm came to you.” Dedue grunted as Dimitri finally stood up.

“Do not concern yourself Dedue. You know I can protect myself. Professor Byleth was here teaching us.”

Hilda raised an eyebrow looking at the blonde prince while helping Claude up. “Teaching what? All I saw were you three looking like you ran a mile.”

“Ah, it’s just a little extra something Teach is showing us how to do. And I must say, I’m liking the progress.”

Huberts eyes narrowed watching Byleth help up Edelgard. “What exactly is this ‘teaching’?”

As if offended by the accusation, Byleth narrowed her eyes back at the creepy looking student. “For your information, they begged me to teach them. They’re my students outside of class, I’m just simply making them better fighters.”

“It is okay Hubert.” Edelgard chimed in looking at her hands. “I feel……. like I can breathe easier.”

“I agree. I feel incredible!” Dimitri laughed.

Claude gave a smirk thinking about that little ball in his hands. “So what’s next for us Teach?”

Happy to move on, Byleth tossed a bunch of bags onto the ground and gave a nod. “This will help with your training.”

Dimitri opened the bag and just frowned in confusion seeing the contents inside.“Clothes?”

“Allow me to carry them back to your room, your Highness.” Dedue said going over to pick it up. Grasping the handles of the bag the larger man gave a tug and grunted in disbelief finding he was having trouble picking it up. It’s just clothes!

“What is this?”

“I recognise this. This is dark magic.” Hubert remarked observing the clothing in Edelgards bag. “If I’m not mistaken, those are gravity hexes.”

Hilda suddenly felt nervous watching the house leaders pick up the bags with serious effort, a little worried they might throw their backs out. “What purpose does this serve? It’s just lugging around heavy clothing! They don’t even look fashionable, so what’s the point?!”

“It’s simple.” Byleth said. “Your house leaders will wear those every day until I tell them to stop. The only times that they can take them off is when they need to bathe.”

All three suddenly paled at the thought of this with Hubert and Dedue trying to stop this from happening.

“That won’t be necessary Hubert.” Edelgard said, now ready to leave for her dorm. “I knew that it would be difficult going in, but I need to be stronger to lead the Empire.”

“I agree with Edelgard.” Dimitri chimed in having an easier time holding the clothes as he was physically stronger than his companions. “If I am to be king, I need to gain new experiences.”

“You know, it’s weird seeing you two agree on stuff.” Claude chuckled as he walked beside Hilda who just shook her head.

“I don’t get this at all…….. but then again. If this makes you stronger, then that means less work for me!”

Giggling with glee, Hilda started pushing Claude to the Monastery. “Come on! Let’s pick up the pace! The sooner, the better!”

“Slow down Hilda! I’m carrying……… hey Teach how much does all of this weigh?”

“Around fifty pounds.” Byleth simply replied.

Dedue was frowning looking at Dimitri with concern. “I would not like harm to come to you.”

“Please do not worry my friend. I trust Professor Byleth with this. It’s just going to take some time.”

“Also, keep in mind I’ll be upgrading you to one hundred pounds once you’re used to that.”

Meanwhile in the back, Hubert was mumbling to Edelgard. “Your Uncle was expecting you today.”

“What? Why today?”

“I’m not sure. But he was very unhappy that you were nowhere to be found. My apologies Lady Edelgard, I should’ve been more observant.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Edelgard said. “This is a blessing in disguise.”

“Oh? In what way?” Hubert inquires raiding an eyebrow.

“I’ll tell you more on it later, but right now I need to master this power.”

“Ah yes, the power of Ki. I remember you mentioning that. So that’s why you were out there. Has there been progress?”

Edelgard nodded feeling much more confident. “Indeed. Though, there is much room to grow before I’m at Professor Byleths level.”

Back at the Monastery, Byleth saw a familiar face leaning on a pillar looking at her. “Oh, hi Shamir! What brings you here?”

“I thought it would be nice to have…… a little chat.”

Byleth was about to reply that she was busy but then saw the group she was with completely vanished. “Ok then. What would you like to talk about?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday.” Shamir explained looking up at the sky. “And I was wondering if you could teach me this Ki junk.”

“Wait…….. YOU want to learn it?”

Shamir nodded. “I realised that as a mercenary, I can’t just be a one trick pony. I’m skilled with the bow but my other skills need work. Which is why I was wondering if-“

“Of course!” Byleth screamed grabbing Shamirs hands and squeezing them in glee. “More potential fighters? This is getting better by the minute!”

“I’m…… glad you’re excited.” Shamir grunted feeling uncomfortable with the hand holding, slowly pulling away. “So why not do it now? I’m not busy.”

“Y-Yeah of course! Come to my room and we can begin!”

Giving a nod, Shamir followed Byleth to her room ready to learn how to harness Ki.

Meanwhile, the house leaders walked out their own rooms now dressed in their training clothes. Just like Byleth, they wore simple tops of their respective house colours and loose gray pants with wristbands and black boots. It might look comfortable, but they didn’t feel like it.

“Is anybody else out of breath already?” Edelgard panted placing her hands on her knees.

“I can lift a lot but this? This is absurd.” Dimitri said trying to stand up straight.

“Well, we COULD get some privacy and try and control our Ki more.” Claude suggested trying not to make sudden movements.

“I would like that honestly. Anything to not move as much.”

“This will take some getting used to,”

“Edie, what are you wearing?”

They turned to see Dorothea walking towards them, one of Edelgards classmates who looked at the three. “Is there a dress code I wasn’t aware of? Oh that’s right, Hubie mentioned your training.”

Edelgard nodded looking at her companions. “If you’ll excuse us Dorothea, we have to-“

“Oh, sure, sure. I’ll tell your classmates where you are and to leave you alone. Don’t want them to mob you now, do we?”

Dorothea waved goodbye as the three went to Claudes room to practice controlling their Ki. They all silently agreed no talking while they kept trying to bring out their Ki bit by bit. Of course Dedue and Hubert were standing outside the room as nothing would keep them from their duties.

* * *

…

“What in the world was she doing?” A masked figure said to Lord Arundel, Edelgards uncle who looked to the ground.

“She was with that mercenary. Not even Hubert knew where they were. She’s teaching the three of them how to use it.”

The figure leaned back letting out a hum. “This complicates things. And you are certain that she is the child of that woman?”

“Same fuzzy brown tail around her waist. There’s no denying it. What do we do now?”

“Hmmmm……. continue as planned. Be more cautious of your niece however. She might decide to be too big for her britches eventually.”

Lord Arundel nodded and bowed to the figure before taking his leave. Now the only one left in the room, the figure hummed. “We need to progress with phase two of the experiments…… if that mercenary is anything like the woman from the church, then we are in trouble…..”

* * *

…

“So just like that, huh?” Shamir said holding a ball of energy in her hand.

“You made that look so easy Shamir!”

Shamir chuckled a little dispersing the energy. “Hey, I wouldn’t have gotten it without your help. Thanks a lot for that. So what’s next?”

“Oh, well now you just need to train. It’s like a muscle, you need to keep practicing to get better.” Byleth replied.

“That simple huh? Okay, I can do that. Hey, can you do me a favour? Can you put those hexes on my clothing? I prefer wearing this and I’ve seen what you made your students wear.”

“Oh. Yeah, I can do that. Just give me a second.” Byleth said closing her eyes in concentration. She held out her hands as they started glowing purple.

Shamir watched as black chain like markings appeared on her clothes increasing the weight making her grunt trying to stay up. With it complete, the chains slowly faded in to the clothing as Byleth opened her eyes.

“Okay, that should be it. I made it fifty pounds just like my students, it’s only to start you off.”

“Thanks. This has been quite an interesting day.” Shamir smiled lightly, picking herself up. “By the way, I have an offer for you. I’ve taken up a contract next month, you’re welcome to come along if you want to.”

“What’s it about?”

“We’ve to investigate a matter in a nearby town, shouldn’t be anything serious but the mayor seems paranoid and the pay is good. You in?”

Byleth pursed her lips considering what Shamir has offered her. It would be nice to travel, plus they could spar too. “Sure, why not?”

“I’m glad. I’ll let you know when we leave, but don’t worry. It’s not until next month.”

Shamir then opened the door and stepped out into the open. “Thanks for that.”

“Anytime.”

That’s when a familiar face came into view. It was Jeralt who passed by Shamir and smiled at his daughter walking inside. “Seems like you’ve been busy today. How did the training go?”

“It went very well dad. They have brought out their Ki already. Shamir actually is learning to do it too, what about you and the Black Eagles?”

“They’re……. an interesting bunch.” Jeralt replied sitting next to Byleth. “But I can easily whip them into shape. Plus, with the weighted clothing you’ve essentially handicapped all three houses making it more fair for the mock battle.”

He then sighed shaking his head. “Though there is one girl in the class who’s a little difficult. Bernadetta. She’s like a lost puppy, who can’t stand being near people. The amount of times she thinks I’m going to kill her……”

“She sounds like a handful.” Byleth said adjusting her wristbands.

“Eh, don’t worry. It’s still the first week so there is plenty of time for her to open up. You’ve been adjusting great here kid.”

Byleth looked up at her father confused. “What do you mean?”

“No offence kid, but you’re not a social butterfly. You always went on your own in fights except when your old man was there.”

He chuckled seeing her cheeks flare up as he ruffled her hair. “But now look at you. Starting to think maybe you should teach the Black Eagles, but then again. You care more about the fighting than the paperwork don’t you?”

Byleth crossed her arms and huffed earning a chuckle from Jeralt again. “I’m just kidding. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders kid, just try to contain your need to fight.”

She nodded a little as she leaned back onto the wall. “But anyway, try and get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jeralt have a light punch to her shoulder closing the door behind him. Then light shone in the room revealing Sothis.

_“So. Do you believe they are off to a good start?”_

Byleth nodded laying on her bed staring at the ceiling. “It’s a start. But nowhere near sparring level, which is unfortunate.”

_“And yet, that mercenary is proving to be capable. Do you see a rival in her?”_

“I certainly hope so. She has potential, that’s for sure. But I suppose we shall see.”

Sothis nodded and let out a yawn. _“Well I think that’s enough for tonight, I’m tired. We need to get some sleep now.”_

While Byleth agreed and got ready for the night, others weren’t as sleepy.

Shamir was in the training grounds, squinting her eyes at the target in front of her holding out a finger. “Come on, work already!”

She focused on the target and gritted her teeth before suddenly a thin beam shot out of her finger and struck the target. Though, Shamir was disappointed to see it didn’t leave a mark. It was progress though.

“It’s all coming together. Let’s try it again.”

While she was doing that, in her own dorm room, Edelgard was sitting cross legged looking at the tennis ball sized energy in her hands and smiled in triumph.

Dimitri was experimenting with his and tried to expand the ball of energy to a thin point but grunted seeing it disperse when he tried. “It appears I can’t do that yet. Need to get better control of my Ki.”

In his own room, Claude was tossing a ball of energy from one hand to the next, making sure to keep it intact while doing it.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to shoot them like Teach does. I can just imagine it.”

As the night rolled on, the three students were unaware of how difficult the next morning would entail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to end it off here. I originally had another day of physical training planned but that ended up being way too long so I’m splitting it up into two parts.
> 
> So yeah, the three leaders have learned how to harness Ki and Shamir is part of the group now. She won’t be actively taking part in the training but more like do her own thing. Trying to make her the Piccolo of the group.
> 
> I have planned 10 more students to be added to the Ki training group in batches. See if you can guess who. It’s all students, Shamir is the only teacher learning it.
> 
> Next chapter won’t have a Sitri flashback since it’s a part 2.
> 
> Anyway thanks guys for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 1: White Clouds

Training Begins: Part 2

The time was 4am. The sun was just starting to rise up to bring light into the Monastery. Everybody was still deep asleep, and with Claude draping off the bed snoring lightly as he was having a nice dream.

“Awwww, yeah. Just a dash of this spice, and Edelgard will end up no different from a dragon….. hehehe.”

His blissful dream state abruptly ended however, when a loud banging sounded on his door causing him to fall off his bed.

“You have five minutes to get up.” Byleths voice sounded from the other side before hearing her footsteps move. No doubt to wake up the other two. He nodded to himself and picked himself up.

“On it, Teach.” Claude yawned before slowly getting back in bed. “Just……. resting….. my eyes…….”

Snuggling back up to his bed, he sighed happily drifting back into dreamland…….. until a wave of coldness washed over him and stopped his ability to breathe for a second.

Claude gasped loudly sitting up coughing and looked to his side to see Byleth there with a bucket that was now empty. “I warned you. Get dressed, now. Training starts in ten minutes. Report to the market.”

“Jeez……. being harsh are we, Teach?” Claude shivered now cold from being soaked and watched her leave, picking up two buckets full of water that looked really cold and closer his door.

He sighed and wiped water off his face before he started grabbing his training clothes. But not before he heard two loud screams minutes apart which came from Edelgard and Dimitri. Byleth got to them too, and he would hate to see what she did next.

That gave him motivation to dress faster and luckily, all he had to do was put on his wristbands. He was now ready to go.

Claude groaned trying to run out his room and to the entrance but found it difficult due to the heavy clothing he currently wore. On his way out, he saw his two fellow leaders jogging out of their rooms all wet and irritated from being woken up in such a way. 

“Teach dump a bucket of water on you too?”

“Very unnecessary!” Dimitri yelled.

“Just keep going!” Edelgard grunted picking up the pace. “I’m afraid what she will do if we don’t arrive in time!”

That was something that they could all agree on, but then when they ran out the three noticed something immediately. “It’s dusk?!”

“It’s way too early to be out!”

“Stop shouting. People are trying to sleep.”

The three leaders yelped in surprise seeing Byleth run next to them. “You’re late. You were supposed to be there two minutes ago.”

“You threw a bucket of water on us!”

“Because you were taking too long. Not to worry, we are here now.”

They saw the market entrance and were quite surprised to see it so barren. Only a few vendors were up preparing their stalls for today, but Byleth was looking for a certain vendor.

“Oh hi Byleth! Are these the volunteers?”

They all turned to see Anna the merchant who was beaming at them as Byleth nodded. The three were confused on what was happening as Ann approached the group.

“Professor, why are we here? I thought we would go to the field again and practice our Ki control.” Edelgard asked yawning while adjusting her top so it wasn’t all ruffled and partly tucked in.

“It’s simple. You need to be in better shape in order to maximise your Ki. That’s why I brought you out here, this is Anna.”

“Hello!” Anna smiled waving.

“She delivers all the ingredients to the Monastery for the cooks to make their meals, and usually she has assistants. This time however, you three will be helping her.”

Claude scratched his head and nodded. “Alright, seems simple enough. Where is the stuff then?”

“Behind you.” Byleth replied as she watched them turn and almost collapse from shock at the sight.

The pile before them was huge. Like, they could probably count over one hundred boxes filled with all sorts of ingredients. From carrots to meat to even a crate filled with wine.

“Y-You can’t be serious Professor! That’ll take us all morning!” Dimitri yelled while Edelgard just looked nervous.

“It won’t take you all morning.”

They sighed in relief but Byleth wasn’t done. “You have two hours.”

“WHAT?!” The three yelled wheeling around to Byleth as she looked at them with a serious expression. 

“May I remind you, that you three begged me to teach you how to use Ki. Well, this is part of it. To make the most of your Ki, you must push your body past its limits.”

Byleth then pointed back to the dorms as she continued. “Now, you can quit at any time. But just know, that if you do, then that’s it. I’ll no longer teach you. Are we clear?”

The three looked at each other and nodded, now feeling motivated to try as they jogged over to the pile and picked up a box each ready to start.

  
Byleth watched them start to jog up to the dining hall and sighed noticing two presences behind her. “You two aren’t allowed to help them.”

She turned around seeing Hubert and Dedue also up and dressed, no doubt to keep an eye on Edelgard and Dimitri. Hubert stepped forward glaring at the mercenary. “With all due respect ‘Professor’, why are you pushing them so far? Logic dictates to start off simple, and I wouldn’t like harm to come to Lady Edelgard.”

“As I said before, it’s about breaking your limits.” Byleth explained continuing to watch her students pick up box after box and jog. “I’m not a fool. I may not be affected by weaponry, but I know everyone else is.”

She then turned to Hubert who kept that glare on her. “Ki can do a lot of things, but it’s at the cost of your own energy. That’s what the training is for.”

“Ah yes, I understand now. It’s like a rolling snowball effect.” Hubert placed a hand on his chin nodding. “The stronger your body is, the easier it is to handle your Ki.”

“Exactly. Physical and mental strength are key components for mastering Ki. If you don’t do that, you might as well break yourself.”

“I see. I must apologise Byleth, it seems that I have underestimated you.” Hubert chuckled looking at Edelgard who was panting hard carrying two crates at this point.

“But I still need to make something clear. If you do harm Lady Edelgard, I will have to dispose of you.” 

“You are more than welcome to try.” Byleth replied with a dangerous glint in her eye. “Though, I must remind you that I can easily take you on.”

Hubert had a nervous look in his eyes, seeing that Byleth was not bluffing. Of course he knows of her power from Edelgard, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.  
  


“Pick up the pace Claude!” Dimitri panted, with sweat pouring down his face as he had three crates in hand with his arms shaking at the heavy weight.

“I’m trying!” Claude yelled back. “I’m not freakishly strong like you are!”

“Both of you shut up and keep going! We’re running out of time!” Edelgard growled only carrying one crate still due to being physically weaker than the other two.

The two males agreed on that and kept on running while Anna looked up at the sky. “Think they’ll make it Byleth?”

“…….I believe so.”

Dedue grunted looking at the pile. “Only twelve more boxes and crates to go. And only ten minutes left.”

He then turned to Byleth and frowned. “I would like to assist them please.”

“If you do that, you’re taking part in this training too. Is that what you want?”

“…….I do not. I apologise.” Dedue said as he bowed before her.

Edelgard now had the last box trudging up the stone stairs, with Dimitri and Claude helping her up and pushing her. “Come on! We only have sixty seconds!”

They made it to the back room as Edelgard shakily handed the lady box to the cook who smiled warmly at them. “Thank you so much.”

With the task completed, they collapsed to the ground panting heavily. Claude started laughing in delight pumping his fist up. “We did it!”

“Congratulations, you managed to do it. With three seconds to spare.” Byleth said walking up to her students and turned to Anna who smiled. 

“So same time tomorrow Byleth?”

What?

“Of course.” Byleth nodded. “Though, I feel that they need to push harder as that was too close.”  
  


What?!  
  


“But for now, it’ll be a nice warm up for the rest.”

WHAT?!

“W-Warm up?” Edelgard whimpered as she refused to believe she heard that.

“Yes, come along now students. I’ll take you to the next part of your training.”

“I want to cry.” Dimitri groaned slowly picking himself up while the other two followed suit.

“Let’s just gets going. I don’t want to invoke the wrath of Teach.” Claude mumbled now walking behind Byleth.

“Your Highness, please let me help.” Dedue said helping up Dimitri.

“I thank you for your concern my friend, but there is no need. Now I must get going.”

Edelgard sighed trying to walk but her arms and legs felt like jelly. She then saw that they were approaching the fishing pond and was wondering what mad plan their Professor had this time.

“We’re going to be going fishing.”

“Really? That doesn’t seem so bad.” Dimitri mumbled scratching his head. “But, where are the fishing rods?”

Byleth just kept on looking at them blankly and nodded towards the water making Edelgard gulp and pale.

“I-I can not swim Professor! I would drown!”

She watched Byleth click her tongue in thought as this did complicate things. That’s when she saw Shamir walking past and called her over.

“What is it Byleth? You need help?”

“Yes. I’m training these three but a little hiccup in my routine means I need to improvise. Can you watch over Dimitri and Claude for me?”

Shamir nodded looking at the two males currently testing the water, wondering how cold it is. “What will you have me do?”

Byleth leaned in to her fellow mercenary and whispered in her ear. Shamir slowly grew an evil smirk which made Claude and Dimitri look scared. That’s when Byleth turned to Edelgard.

“You’re with me. Come along.”

Edelgard nodded while Hubert followed the pair as Shamir pointed to two baskets. “Right, your training session this time is to get in the water and grab as much fish as you can.”

“But how can we swim with these clothes weighing us down?”

“You can take off the tops but that’s it.”

Claude shrugged now grabbing the bottom and grunted trying to lift it off. “I guess, that helps a little.”

That’s when Dimitri saw Shamir draw out her bow and taking a couple of arrows from her quiver. “U-Uuum. Excuse me Miss Shamir, but, what are you doing with that?”

“Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention.” Shamir smirked evilly walking towards them. “This is testing your stamina and reflexes. So, I’ll be shooting arrows that you have to dodge while you’re in the water.”

Both of them truly believed Byleth to be insane as their tops finally came off and dented the ground. “Jeez, Teach is out for our blood isn’t she?”

“Get going.” Shamir said kicking both boys into the water and readying her bow. Dedue just watched from a distance and sighed shaking his head. 

* * *

“Why are we in the greenhouse, my teacher?” Edelgard asked following Byleth to the location.

The greenhouse was quite spacious and was very well kept with a lot of flowers starting to sprout for the new year ahead of them. But Byleth had something else in mind.

“We are going to be planting seeds to grow our own crops at the back of the greenhouse. You will till the land yourself. With your hands.”

“M-My hands? That’s not possible! The grounds too-“

“I would advise you to stop complaining and start tilling the land. After that, I’m going to restructure your training. You better get a move on, I’ll be timing you.”

Edelgard growled in frustration at Byleths blunt orders, but took a deep breath and overlooked the plot of land she would be cultivating. ‘ _Okay Edelgard, it’s not a big deal. You’re the princess of the Adrestian Empire, you won’t let dirt ruin you._ ’

With that thought in mind, Edelgard stuck her hands in the soil and started to tear it up to loosen the soil. She cringed at how her hands were already feeling the brunt of it but chose to carry on. 

Hubert just glared at Byleth who was overlooking Edelgards progress and closed his eyes. He would need to do research on this woman. She was a complete mystery.

“Pick up the pace Edelgard! You have thirty minutes!”

Gritting her teeth in anger, Edelgard tried ignoring the hot pain going through her hands and started going faster squeezing her eyes shut in concentration. “I wonder how the boys are doing.”

* * *

“WATCH IT! YOU ALMOST HIT ME!”

“That’s the point, now hurry up!”

“YOU ARE CRAZY!”

“Don’t test me your Highness. Or I’ll actually start trying.”

Shamir smirked watching the two frantically swim to collect as much fish as possible. She fired another arrow in the air watching it sail down almost hitting Dimitri. “I could get used to this.”

Thirty minutes had passed after that, and the three students were on their knees panting. Claude and Dimitri were soaked and even had scuff marks from almost being hit by arrows while Edelgards arms, knees, hands and fingers were caked in mud. Byleth loomed over them shaking her head.

“I must say I’m disappointed. But we have room to improve. You’re done for now.”

All three breathed a sigh of relief thankful that it was finally over. “Get cleaned and dressed before getting breakfast. You don’t want to be late for class.”

Wait. What?

“C-Class?” Edelgard whimpered.

“A-After all of that?” Dimitri whispered looking down.

“We still have to go to class?!” Claude shouted in disbelief.

Byleth nodded as she handed the boys their shirts. “This isn’t part of your academic year. This is something on the side. Oh, also remember to wear those shirts and wristbands with your school uniforms.”

With that, she walked away as the three collapsed to the ground just completely exhausted. Sothis appeared next to Byleth smirking.

“ _Well, look at that. It appears that meathead isn’t your key trait. You are fiendishly clever, I must admit._ ”

Byleth looked at her partner giving a nod. “I can be serious when I want to be. But Edelgard is missing a key point in the training by not knowing how to swim.”

“ _Perhaps it’s best to teach her how to do that._ ”

“Maybe.” The mercenary hummed closing her eyes.

“Byleth.”

She turned to see Shamir walking up to her still having that smirk. “I have to thank you. I’ve never had that much fun before. How would you rank them?”

“There is a lot of room for improvement. But honestly, I thought they would give up after bringing all the supplies in. So there’s progress.”

“Oh yeah that reminds me. The Knights of Seiros want to do their own training. Feel like helping out? You can judge me on my Ki.”

“I would like that.” Byleth adjusted her coat following the archer who brought up a point.

“Think they’re cursing your name?”

“Now, listen. If I know those three, then they would know how great of a teacher I am.” Byleth closed her eyes nodding in thought.

* * *

  
“She’s completely insane!” Edelgard screamed in the dining hall before slamming her head onto the table next to her bowl of oatmeal. She was currently with her Black Eagles class who were a little intimidated from this training program.

“Edie, your poor nails!” Dorothea gasped looking at the Empress’ hands seeing them all calloused and rough from the constant digging.

“S-S-S-She sounds scary! Scarier than Professor Jeralt!” Bernadetta whimpered hiding in a book. “Y-You don’t think she would make us go through that do you?!”

“Unlikely.” Hubert replied standing next to Edelgard. “She is doing this on the request of Lady Edelgard. She is not an official professor of the academy.”

“I am not following. What is the reason for the training?” Petra asked watching Edelgard lift her head up.

“To acquire a power to help the Empire. Though I knew it would be hard, I didn’t anticipate it would be breaking my body. That or she’s just having fun.” Edelgard replied spooning oatmeal into her mouth with a deep frown.

“That being said, could you please keep it down next time?” Linhardt replied yawning. “Your screaming was keeping me up.”

“I must agree. As a noble, you must learn to ignore the pain and hide it away. You don’t want to seem weak do you?” Ferdinand replied smiling. Edelgard did not appreciate that one bit.

“Is that so? Would you like to take my place then?”

He chuckled nervously in return clearing his throat. “I-I’m afraid I have other matters to tend to and can’t fit it into my schedule….”

“Well, whatever that woman’s making you do, it’s working. Look!” Caspar exclaimed looking at Edelgards arms.

“Oh wow Edie, he’s right! You’re packing in some muscle aren’t you?” Dorothea giggled.

Edelgard saw that they were right. It was slight, but she was getting stronger. She was even adjusting to the clothing under her uniform. ‘ _Perhaps she is right about this. My energy inside feels stronger too._ ’

At another table, Dimitri was with his classmates from the Blue Lions who watched him slump on the table completely exhausted letting out a long quiet groan. Dedue held a plate of eggs and bacon next to the Prince.

“Would you like me to feed you, your Highness?”

Normally, Dimitri wouldn’t let Dedue baby him like this. But he could barely move after doing all that, so with a long sigh, nodded. “Thank you my friend.”

“It’s a rare sight to see the boar like this.” Felix grunted sitting down looking at Dimitri who looked pathetic getting fed.

“Stop calling him that!” Ingrid scolded. “And besides, it’s obviously that mercenary who pushed him this far. He can’t even pick his head up.”

“Oh dear, you have bruises and cuts all over!” Mercedes gasped lifting his arm to inspect the damage from Shamir. “How careless!”

“I dunno guys, it looked kinda fun. If you don’t count the screams, that is.” Annette chimed in beaming.

“But hey, you got some scars to brag to the ladies about, your Highness!” Sylvain grinned giving a wink but only received a punch to the ground from an irritated Ingrid.

Ashe was looking in awe at the broken down form of Dimitri and wondered how far Byleth pushed him, but concluded it must be doing some good if it’s that intense.

“Really guys, it wasn’t that difficult.” Claude shrugged at his own table while Marianne was busy tending to his fresh set of cuts and bruises.

“I seem to recall you screaming and begging for it to be over while I was trying to sleep.” Lorenz huffed sipping at his tea. “Honestly, you are supposed to be our leader yet you sounded like a baby.”

“Ah, trust me Lorenz. Teach is no pushover. Hardest I’ve ever worked.”

“You still haven’t explained why you’re doing this.” Hilda said folding her arms.

“Are you trying to get more beef in your arms?! You need to eat more!” Raphael yelled shoving a plate of pork in Claudes direction.

“No, I do not think that’s his plan. Though I’m definitely stumped.” Ignatz said adjusting his glasses.

“Well……. maybe don’t push yourself so hard……” Marianne muttered. “I’d hate to see you get hurt……..”

Lysithea huffed munching on her cakes poking his arms. “Well there’s a difference, that’s for sure. You didn’t have as much muscle.”

“You think so? Awesome, that means that it’s working!” Claude grinned digging in to his eggs.

Leonie hummed not paying attention as her eyes landed on Jeralt and Byleth walking in the dining hall. ‘ _Is this the training they wouldn’t let me do back then? Would they let me do it now?_ ’

Jeralt told Byleth to make her way to the table with the staff who were currently eating breakfast. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get you plenty of food, okay?”

Byleth nodded and saw Shamir sitting at the end and walked over to sit beside her. Her fellow mercenary gave a smile. “Hey there, hows it going? Did you have fun today? The knights certainly didn’t.”

“Ah, to think my knights were completely bested! You made them look like mere children!” Alois exclaimed with a hand on his chest shaking his head. “I must commend you however Shamir! You have vastly improved!”

“So it was you two that sent those poor men to my ward! Honestly, you could’ve spared them or held back a little.” Manuela sighed but gave a smile at Byleth.

“I don’t believe we have met. I am Manuela. Professor, Physician, Songstress……. and available~” She added with a wink.

“Please don’t seduce my daughter Manuela. Besides, she’s hardly been one for romance.”

Shamir chuckled to herself shaking her head as she watched food pile in front of Byleth. “You weren’t kidding about your appetite were you?”

“Huh? What?”

Byleth had stopped paying attention and was instead sucking up the noodles in front of her. She had attracted an audience as Manuela just sighed loudly dropping her head.

“Why couldn’t I have been blessed with a metabolism like that…….”

“I saw your battle with the knights today. A remarkable display of strength and skill!” Hanneman exclaimed. “You must have a powerful Crest!”

“A……. what?” 

Hanneman was spluttering in disbelief looking over to Jeralt who slapped his head. “Oh yeah, I never told you about Crests, did I?”

“How could you not tell her about one of society’s most important subjects?!”

Jeralt just shrugged munching on toast. “I don’t know. Just never came up. That strength is her own, not because of some birthright.”

“W-Well regardless, would you be so kind as to let me see if you have one?” Hanneman asked looking at the woman who was still eating.

Byleth paused with a mouth full of eggs and giving a shrug, nodded at his proposal. “Splendid! I shall get my tools immediately!”

Manuela sighed watching her colleague run off leaving his breakfast behind. “Honestly, that man needs to learn how to relax….”

She then turned her attention to Jeralt giving a smirk. “I certainly hope that you are prepared for the mock battle next week. If I win, perhaps you can buy me dinner?”

“Not interested. I loved once and she’s gone now. Besides, my Black Eagles will win easily.”

“Well, can’t blame a girl from trying, can you?”

At this point, Byleth was thinking to herself while on her seventh bowl. She knew that Edelgard would fall behind due to her inability to swim. So she would have to get the princess up to speed fast.

* * *

…

“I’m going to be doing some private tutoring with Edelgard.” Byleth said looking at Dimitri and Claude. “While I’m doing that, Shamir will be helping you with meditation.”

“Move it along, you two.” Shamir grunted. “I’m not fooling around today.”

Edelgard was confused before fear crept up at her chest seeing the pond yet again. “Professor?”

“I’m going to teach you how to swim. You’re going to fall behind if you don’t learn.”

Edelgard gulped as she was staring at the water hugging herself in fear. She didn’t want to do this. It scared her, not to mention that meant showing skin.

But then Edelgard felt a hand on her shoulder as Byleth held a skin tight suit. “I have noticed you don’t like showing any skin. I’m not going to tell you to do that, since I feel like that makes you uncomfortable. Wear this instead and it’ll cover you fine.”

‘ _Okay…… that helps a little……_ ’

Edelgard excused herself, going inside to quickly change. Byleth looked over at the water crossing her arms as she wondered if three students could be the limit. What if others wanted to come too to learn?

“No. I’ll only do it if they ask and understand the brutality of it.” Byleth muttered shaking her head as she saw Edelgard come out.

She had the skin tight suit on as well as her gloves and shoes abut still had that nervous look on her face. “Excellent. Now, just come to the water with me and hold my hands.”

“……..Do you promise to not let go?” Edelgard mumbled looking away cursing herself. What was she doing? She was acting like a child!

But Byleth just nodded as they slowly trudged into the water. She instructed Edelgard to take deep breathes while doing it. Soon, they were up to their waists in water as Edelgard looked around.

“This…… doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Good.” Byleth said. “Now let’s actually get you swimming.”

She saw Edelgard hesitating and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I’ve got you. Don’t worry.”

Edelgard looked towards her teacher and slowly sucked in a breath, nodding. So she took her time wading in and gasped when it went up to her neck as she started panicking. But Byleth still held on and told her to float on her belly, that was the next step.

“Just control your breathing and float. You’ll sink if you panic too much. Relax.”

“Of course……. my teacher.”

Byleth smiled as Edelgard managed to do what was asked. She was still holding her hands as the mercenary started swimming too so she didn’t drown. “Okay. Now just start kicking your legs.”

“Like…….like this?” Edelgard squinted in concentration as Byleth smiled, impressed with the progress. 

“Perfect. Now I’m going to hold your waist while you use your arms to swim. So just reach out with one hand and it’s like you’re clawing the water to you. Simple?”

“I suppose……”

“Good. Now give a shot.”

“Okay……” Edelgard mumbled doing as was told. “Okay Edelgard, just claw. And kick. Claw. And kick.”

That’s when she realised what she was doing. She was swimming! It was working! Edelgard laughed in delight doing more swimming in circles before she realised that Byleth wasn’t holding onto her anymore. Instead she was at the edge smiling lightly.

“See? That wasn’t so bad was it? Good job!”

Edelgard blushed lightly as she smiled back. “Thank you my teacher.”

“Great. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s catch you up. Do twenty laps right now.”

“……….I hate my life.” Edelgard muttered as she forgot about the training.

* * *

…

“Oh thank the goddess that it’s over!” Edelgard groaned slumping on the chair as she just needed a few minutes. Or hours. But unfortunately that luxury wouldn’t come.

“I see my niece has been busy.”

Her eyes snapped open as she stood up to see her uncle, Lord Arundel approach her. “May I ask the reason for this surprise visit uncle?”

“Why, you wound me Edelgard. Can I not have a reason?”

She narrowed her eyes approaching her uncle who looked down at his niece. “There is something different about you. What is going on?”

Lord Arundel just ignored her and paced forward. “I hear that you have been learning a new power. Ki, I believe it is called?”

“What?” Edelgard gasped looking shocked. “How do you-“

“Oh please Edelgard. You really believe it to be a big secret? We know a lot of things, and we are currently trying to bring out the limitless potential of Ki. All you have to do is help us and we can help you unite Fódlan a lot quicker.”

She looked at the hand of her uncle who had extended it for her to take. How dare they assume she would help! Emotions were running high in her head as she clenched her fists and slapped the hand away earning a shocked look from Lord Arundel.  
  


“I will master Ki on my own. I do not intend to give that power to you, it will only be for myself.”

“You better watch where you stand, girl.” Arundel growled looking at her. “We gave you your gift, we can easily take it away. And you know what happens when a Crest is removed. So do not test our patience.”

He then turned away intending to leave as he looked at her. “We still request the Death Knight in our ranks. Don’t make this difficult.”

Edelgard was gritting her teeth watching him go as she had to control her breathing. What was wrong with her? Why did she act up like that? 

“That was not like you, Lady Edelgard.”

She turned around to see Hubert there with his arms behind his back. “You’re right…… I don’t know what happened. It’s just……. I’m working so hard to master Ki, and then they want me to help them so they can ease off the hard work?”

“While I agree, we need them for your plan to succeed. You can then get rid of them after uniting Fódlan. But for now let’s keep them on our side.”  
  


“Yes…… you’re right. Thank you Hubert.”

He gave a smile and bowed towards the Princess. “Anything for the Empire.”

* * *

…

“You were not acting in character enough. You almost gave yourself away!”

Lord Arundel was covered in black smoke before an elderly man took his place. “M-My apologies! I let my emotions run high when that girl dared to challenge us.”

“It is alright Solon. We have planted the seeds of doubt in her mind. You have done what is needed so far, you will return to the Monastery as Tomas and keep an eye on that woman. Do I make myself clear?”

Solon slowly bowed and closed his eyes. “Of course, anything for you. What of Edelgard?”

“She intends to play this game of theatrics, then so shall we.” The figure replied. “We shall act in good faith for now. However, we will have no need of her soon. I believe we will give those bandits the ‘Flame Emperor’ hired some better weaponry for that mercenary. That is, if she goes to the canyon.”

Solon bowed as he took his leave closing the door behind him as the figure closed his eyes. “She will be a problem if she masters Ki. No matter, we have our own warriors. We just need to install fear and hopelessness.”  
  


* * *

…

Edelgard couldn’t sleep. The nightmares were too much to bear tonight since her uncle came over to visit. She was restless, needing to punch something, or work off her anger. Anything really.

They think she is weak. That same scared little girl who they made watch all her siblings die. They think she can’t fight back. They’re wrong!

She got out of bed and got her wetsuit on and slowly snuck out the dorm making sure nobody heard her. Not even Hubert.

Though Edelgard failed to notice two people watching her walk out the dorms, with it being night time and the moon still high and curfew on full effect.

“I’ll show you. I’ll show everyone. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg and I am not weak!” 

“Great motivating speech there Princess, but don’t think you’re doing extra training without us.”

She wheeled around to see Dimitri and Claude walking up to her still in their training uniforms as she stepped back. “Why are you two out here? There’s a curfew!”

“Coming from the girl who decided to sneak out and try to train by herself.” Dimitri replied. “We’re in this together, so we do it together.”

Edelgard was speechless as the two walked past her to take off their shirts and shoes. “Coming in Edelgard? We promise to slow down so you can keep up.”

Her eyes hardened which motivated her to walk up. “As if I need you to go easy on me.”

At the corner of the building, Byleth was watching them and smiling at her students as Sothis appeared.

“ _Well, would you look at that? You actually can smile. It suits you._ ”

“I’m just glad to see them take this seriously now. Something happened to motivate Edelgard but it is making her push her limits. I’ll need to see what happened….”

She then turned away yawning as Jeralt walked up. “So you up for doing some sparring kid? I know it’s night time but we haven’t had a chance lately.”

“Do you need to ask?” Byleth said as Sothis sighed shaking her head before disappearing.

* * *

…

Six days had passed, and now it was time for the mock battle as the three leaders stood before Byleth who looked at them. “Alright guys, this is just a mock battle okay? That being said, it’s good to show off your training these past few days. So keep your weighted clothing on and give it your all.”

“Of course Professor.” Edelgard beamed. “The Black Eagles will reign supreme.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate the Blue Lions Edelgard.” Dimitri quipped.

“Ah, must we resort to violence?” Claude winked laughing to himself.

“If you are finished kid, we would like to grab our house leaders.” Jeralt said walking up to the four with Manuela and Hanneman in tow.

Byleth gave a nod and saluted everyone before walking off to the place where the rest of the staff were. Shamir gave a smirk seeing her partner approach. “Got an idea on who will win?”

“I’m not sure. We will just have to see. All three of them improved a lot.”

That’s when Seteth moved forward to address the three teams who were about to fight. “As you all know, this is a mock battle. Please do not push yourself too hard. The rule is if you get hit three times, you are out. Or if you can no longer fight, you are also out.”

Jeralt chuckled as he stood behind his Black Eagles. “This should be interesting. Hope you taught them well kid, because I don’t plan to fight that much.”

“Ready! BEGIN!”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the training stuff really put me in a writers block that I hope will be put to rest for now. I know where the story is heading but I’m just taking my sweet time getting there.
> 
> I noticed a hiccup with Arundel last chapter after learning his identity. Whoops. So I offered an alternative to fix that little hiccup.
> 
> So yes, the leaders have had decent training in Ki. You might think it’s too fast, but Videl learned how to fly in the span of a week and I’d argue these three are stronger than her.
> 
> That being said, tune in next time to see if the training paid off. Edelgard knows how to swim, and I hope to try and include Dragonball humour too.
> 
> Also, holy crap. A lot has happened to the world between this update and the last. I’ll just say guys, wash your hands, keep your distance from people, and listen to the health professionals.
> 
> NOTE: This chapter was posted back in March. I regularly update on Fanfiction.net so if you’re curious about this story, then we’re at chapter 9 right now


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

Part 1: White Clouds

Mock Battle

_“It’s beautiful Jeralt.”_

_Sitri was sitting on her bed beaming at the rose Jeralt picked for her as she sniffed the flower, taking in its lovely scent. This was the third time this month that he had visited and gave her a new flower to observe and preserve. In return, Sitri honoured her end of the promise by telling Jeralt stories about Planet Vegeta as well as her own life story._

_“So you hunted planets?” He asked while sipping tea while sitting on her bed. Sitri requested he join her for tea while she told him stories._

_“Yes. We would purge them of all lifeforms for our boss Frieza, who would sell it to the highest bidder. I was part of a squad back in the day.”_

_This surprised Jeralt. He never would have imagined a task so ruthless, to someone like her. “You killed people?”_

_Sitri nodded, looking out the window at the blue sky that didn’t have a cloud in sight today. “Men, women, children, you name it. I know it may seem immoral to you, but for us, it was a way of survival. We grew numb to the killing. And I guess it lead to nothing but Frieza destroying us…..”_

_Jeralt could only look down and think about what she had said. This Frieza person was her boss? How powerful was this person? One question now lingered on his mind, however._

_“You don’t think……. They would come here would you?” He asked now afraid of all life on Fódlan being destroyed. But Sitri calmed his nerves by shaking her head._

_“I highly doubt it. No offence to your kind, but you don’t have a high power level here and are not really advanced with technology. It just didn’t show up on our radars, aside from a bust pod that had your planets coordinates. Your planet wasn’t worth the trouble.”_

_“I don’t know if I should be glad about that.” Jeralt sighed scratching his head. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. That explosion which killed so many knights. What was that?”_

_Her eyes casted downwards as Sitri answered. “I put all my Ki into one spot and exploded it outwards. I was basically a bomb. I never use it, because it destroys my body and could kill me. Quite frankly, it almost did….”_

_“Your….. Ki? What’s that?”_

_“…….You don’t know what Ki is?” Sitri blinked rubbing her head. “Wow.”_

_“Hey listen, if Ki is that light show you did, we have magic that does the same thing.”_

_“But has it ever been that destructive? Because Ki is very destructive.”_

_Jeralt pondered this question. The more he thought about it, he realised Sitri had a point. The most destructive that magic has ever been was in forbidden spells that were banned from ever being used. “I guess you have a point. So what can you do with Ki?”_

_“Oh, a number of things.” Sitri replied, smiling. “You can use it to shoot Ki blasts, you can use it to move things with your mind. You can even use it to fly.”_

_Now this surprised Jeralt. Flying? Without the use of a Pegasus? That seemed too far fetched to be true. But then again, this woman seemed to be challenging all of his beliefs lately._

_“Is it simple to learn?”_

_Sitri placed a finger on her cheek and looked up in thought.”I suppose. I was a fast learner, though I’m not sure about your kind. No harm in teaching you I suppose.”_

_“Really? That easy to convince you?”_

_“Well, I have nothing better to do.” Sitri shrugged as she took the rose and placed it in a pot just to take over to the greenhouse. “But it does take some time. Luckily, you seem to be fine on the physical side of things so all we need to do is bring out the Ki. I’ll use my scouter to monitor the progress. Just need to plant this flower in the greenhouse and we will get started.”_

_With a wave and a smile, Sitri walked off in the direction of the green house, brushing her green bangs out of her face as Jeralt smiled lightly at her retreating figure. He shook his head and slowly walked after her._

_“What a crazy girl…..”_

* * *

…

“Snap out of it Professor!”

Jeralt blinked hearing a voice yelling at him, before realising that he blanked out just as the match started and that it was Dorothea who had snapped him out of his trance with the songstress having a very unimpressed look on her face. “It’s not very professional to space out in the midst of battle. Especially when we just started.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I have faith in you brats.” Jeralt said leaning on his long sword. “I’m not interfering with any fights unless it’s out of your league. Besides, you all should be fine.”

As he was saying this, he watched as Edelgard stormed ahead and was currently locked in battle with Ingrid of the Blue Lions, who twirled her spear in an attempt to put distance between them. But the princess was not swayed, as she swung her axe in an attempt to break Ingrids guard.

Ingrid gasped watching her training spear break in two from the force as Edelgard slowly walked towards her pointing her own training weapon at the blonde. “I suggest you surrender. You have no weapon.”

“You’re right. It would be foolish of me to fight you without a weapon.” Ingrid said before drawing out a training sword from her back. “It’s a good thing that I carry spares.”

The two women kept circling each other as Ingrid tried to find an opening, but couldn’t see any. Edelgard charged and swung at Ingrid, but she rolled out of the way and went to thrust her sword at Edelgard. The Princess jumped back in an attempt to dodge, but the weight of her training clothes were proving to be too much as she fell on her rear onto the ground. 

Ingrid took this as an opportunity to strike and raised her sword in the air, but Edelgard kicked her opponent in the shin causing Ingrid to yelp in pain also collapsing to the ground. Both girls tried getting up, groaning as they got to their knees. That’s when Edelgard noticed an arrow coming at her and collapsed onto her stomach as the arrow whizzed past her head. She looked in the distance to see Ashe readying another arrow.

“I’m sorry Ingrid!”

“It’s okay Ashe.” Ingrid sighed, now finally on her feet. “We have a lot of time to improve, but for now let’s focus on taking out Edelgard.”

“I would like to see you try. You two must know of the training I do with your leader.”

“I do. I also know that your clothing is severely impacting your ability to fight. That gives us an advantage.”

Edelgard narrowed her eyes readying her axe. “Do not underestimate me.”

* * *

…

Byleth was looking at her pupil and smiled a little. It appeared that Edelgard had gotten stronger due to actually managing to break Ingrids spear. Her eyes were then drawn to Jeralt who was still hanging back from the students.

Now that she thought about it, Byleth had noticed that Hanneman and Manuela had done the same thing. Must be evaluating the performance of everyone participating.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself Edelgard…….”

She then looked over to Dimitri who was currently locked in combat Raphael from the Golden Deer. He was using his spear to create distance so that Raphael wasn’t able to get in close with his gauntlets. She was glad that he was careful in battle and not just rush head first.

Then Byleth looked over at Claude who was dealing with Ferdinand alongside Hilda. It was a sound strategy that they had, where Hilda would get in close and Claude would take advantage of weak points from a distance. It seemed that Ingrid and Ashe were trying to copy that strategy but not with the same finesse, especially when it came to Edelgard. 

“Show me the results so far you three. I want to see it.”

* * *

…

The Princess was taking deep breaths as she stared down Ingrid once again who was glaring at her. She managed to take care of Ashe earlier on in the fight by kicking dirt in his face, blinding him to give her the opening to take him out. It was just the two of them now.

“There’s no honour in kicking dirt in your opponents face.” Ingrid said panting hard, exhausted from trying to break Edelgard and her defence.

“On the battlefield, honour doesn’t exist.”

“Stand down Ingrid. I will handle this.”

Both girls turned to their right to see Dimitri approach, with a couple of fresh scrapes from his fight with Raphael, as he stared down Edelgard who stood up straight. “I am wanting to test out the results of our training so far. A fair fight. Do you accept?”

But before Edelgard could respond, another voice chimed in. “Don’t think you can leave me out of the action you two. I’m wanting to test my power as well.”

Claude had a smile as he tossed his training bow to the ground. “What do you say guys? While our classmates battle each other, we can settle this little rivalry for ourselves.”

Dimitri nodded cracking his knuckles. “I am inclined to agree. I have managed to control my Ki. Prepare to see my power!”

“I accept this challenge.” Edelgard said tossing her axe and her aura flared up. “Do not hold back!”

With that statement, Edelgard growled as her aura started glowing around her body giving a deep shade of red. It wasn’t much, but the two before her were able to see her strength had grown from doing that. They decided to show off in their own way.

With a small smile, Dimitri clenched his fists and connected them together as they started to glow blue as he concentrated his Aku into one singular point between his closed fists.

Claude shook his head and gave a small chuckle before he charged his own Ki. His aura around him glowing yellow as his power went to his finger tips. “I’m impressed your majesties! I would’ve thought that you would burn out in the first second.”

“Then you are a fool for thinking otherwise!” Dimitri growled as he kept his fists together.

* * *

…

‘ _Well, this is interesting.’_ Sothis said, floating next to Byleth who observed the trio. ‘ _I don’t think you taught them how to do that.’_

“They have been impressing me this past week. If this is what they can do in this space of time, just imagine what will be the result after they graduate.”

‘ _You are thinking of fighting them? Of course you are.’_ Sothis sighed shaking her head.

To her left, Shamir was just looking at Byleth with a strange look on her face. _‘Who is she talking to?’_

* * *

…

Jeralt was watching the leaders power themselves up, and nodded to himself seeing the display they brought forth. “Well done kid. You have taught them well so far. I’ll stay behind a little longer.”

At this point, everyone in the arena had stopped fighting and were watching wide eyed at what was happening. 

“Is this the result of an innate Crest ability that I am not aware of?” Hanneman exclaimed from his spot and quickly pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper and sat on the ground now writing down notes.

“I have never seen something like this before!” Manuela gasped in a surprising manner, and briefly wondered if this was the result of last nights drinking. But after rubbing her eyes, she saw that it was real.

Dimitri had started slowly moving his fists to either side, with a beam of energy connecting the two. He panted, but smiled at what was forming. A lance came from the stored energy in his hands as he twirled it. He managed to do it!

“That is SO COOL!” Annette yelled dropping her tome. “I want a beam lance!”

Dedue allowed himself to smile at Dimitri progress. He felt immense pride on how strong the Prince had gotten. Dedue could only hope he would use this power for his Kingdom, and not for personal gain.

Felix however, was gripping his sword so hard, that his knuckles were white. Where did he get all this? How is he able to form a lance? Dimitri doesn’t know magic! That’s when it hit him.

“Is this the result of him training with that mercenary?” Felix looked at the cliff to see Byleth standing there, arms folded. He narrowed his eyes at her and back to Dimitri, and made a mental note to talk to this woman later. There is no way the boar will be better than him!

Edelgards aura dimmed as she released a long breath before looking at the prince. “I’m impressed Dimitri. I haven’t gotten to the point where I can fashion a weapon like that.”

“I feel the same way about you Edelgard. You’re leaps and bounds ahead of me in raw power. But power isn’t everything.” 

“Then come at me!” Edelgard yelled. “I’ll prove you wrong!”

Dimitri nodded before he ran forward with his lance in tow. But before he could swing at Edelgard, a blast struck him at his side causing him to crumple to the ground. Claude was standing there smirking as his hand was in a finger gun position with smoke trailing off the end of his finger.

“Yeah, I’m with the Princess over there. Haven’t gotten the chance to make weapons. But it seems I don’t need it, when I can just shoot with my fingers. Pretty cool, huh?”

“And yet.” Dimitri groaned picking himself up. “You felt the need to shoot an opponent who wasn’t coming towards you?”

Claude shrugged, giving a wider smile placing his hands behind his head. “Hey, you left yourself wide open, your Highness. On the battlefield, you must look for every opening.”

Edelgard just rolled her eyes as she took a stance staring down Dimitri and Claude. The Prince had his lance still and the Heir of Riegan had a ball of energy in his hand with a raised eyebrow and smile.

“I see. So this is how we’re doing it.” She whispered as her power ascended more. While she didn’t have the finesse of making weaponry or able to shoot blasts from her hands, she had another goal in mind. What Edelgard was training in, was raw power as she charged at Claude. Better to take out the ranged attacker first.

She slammed her fist in Claudes stomach who wasn’t expecting her to flat out charge like that, as he went flying back a few feet and groaned holding his stomach in pain. Edelgard went on the offensive as she went for another punch, but Claude rolled out of the way and pulled her leg causing Edelgard to fall yet again. 

He grinned and got up, ready to attack once more but he saw a lance coming towards him and managed to duck in time causing it to miss him completely.

“Wait your turn Claude. We were just starting a duel.” Dimitri said eyeing him up and ready to attack.

“Sorry, but this is a mock battle. We don’t wait our turn.”

Away from the action, Caspar was grinning like a madman as the power before him was unreal. “This is what I’m talking about! I’m going in there!”

He started sprinting but soon found that he was just running on the spot and felt his collar being tugged on. Linhardt was behind Caspar yawning as he held his friend in place. “I wouldn’t advise that. You’re out of your league.”

“But it’s so cool! I need to know how she did it!”

“Well, it appears that she’s not doing so good.” Linhardt replied as he pointed to her.

On the ground, Edelgard was slowly picking herself up whilst groaning at the weight she was still carrying. “Stupid gravity hexes……. maybe I can get Hubert to rid of them for now…….”

But then she closed her eyes and took deep breathes after getting to her feet. “No. Professor Byleth won’t be happy with me if I take easy ways out.”

Edelgard saw Dimitri focused on Claude for now and narrowed her eyes trying to think of a way past them. She can’t take them both on at the same time. There was only one way.

She focused Ki into her fists, but not the same way Dimitri did when forming his lance. Instead, Edelgard used it to power up her punches as she charged at Dimitri. Claude tried to get the jump on her by firing a Ki blast at her but she predicted he would do that and rolled to dodge and threw a punch at the Princes chest. But Dimitri blocked the punch, at the cost of his lance shattering after losing control.

“Damn it……. I was so sure I made it strong enough.”

Edelgard let out a small laugh at Dimitri’s dejected expression. “You tried, but ultimately you failed. Now I will- URK!”

She collapsed to the ground face first as Claude shot them both with Ki blasts. “You two talk too much, you know that? Now, I suggest you both surrender right now.”

In the distance, Leonie was looking in awe at what Claude was doing. But she soon had a very annoyed expression as she stomped over to Jeralt who was still standing in his spot.

“Captain Jeralt! Is this the power you refused to teach me? Why?! I could’ve been awesome with that kind of power.”

“Listen kid. I might have taught you how to defend yourself and your village. But this is another matter entirely, one that is not for the faint of heart. I didn’t teach you because quite frankly, you weren’t ready.” Jeralt explained looking at her.

“W-Well, what about now?” Leonie said crossing her arms ignoring the match between the leaders. “I’m in the Officers Academy now! Surely I’m more than ready to receive that training!”

“It ain’t up to me.” Jeralt shrugged. “I’ve got too much paperwork to deal with nowadays. You’re better asking Byleth, and it’ll be her choice.”

Leonie gave a nod pondering that over and looked towards Byleth at the cliff again. She remembers her, she helped teach her alongside her father. “Thank you, I will ask her after this.”

“By the way kid, you forgot an important lesson.”

“Lesson? What’s tha- ACK!”

Her body went limp as Jeralt hit a pressure point on her neck, causing her to immediately fall unconscious and collapsed on the ground. “Never let your guard down. This is a battle after all.”

Jeralt then looked towards everyone just looking at the ensuing battle and sighed, shaking his head. “This has gone on long enough.”

“What are you going to be doing Professor?” Petra said sheathing her sword.

“Finishing this. Stay back.”

And Petra just gasped as Jeralt disappeared out of nowhere and she frantically looked around trying to find him. “Where was he go?”

* * *

…

“I’m……. nowhere……. near done.” Edelgard panted as her Ki was already very low and the extra weight of her clothing was starting to take its effect on her. She was kneeling on the ground and staring at the grass beneath her. 

Dimitri was on his back as Dedue tried to help him up and Hubert was beside Edelgard ready to defend her from Claude who had two Ki balls in his hands.

“Really, why do you try to do close combat when it’s a lot simpler to do it from a distance? Honestly, I feel like this was too easy.”

Claude looked at the two vassals ready to take him on as he let out another chuckle. “Really guys? You’re going to try and take me on? The royals can’t fight anymore and it’ll just be an easy victory for the Golden Deer!”

Hubert let out a dark laugh helping an exhausted Edelgard to her feet, to escort her out. “It appears that this power has clouded your senses. You would do well to notice what’s happening behind you before celebrating your victory.”

Claude wondered what Hubert meant by that, and when he turned around to see, he was met with a series of unconscious bodies. His entire team was knocked out!

“Professor Manuela! We need he-“ Claude stopped short seeing the Songstress was nowhere to be seen and looked around. What was happening? Last time he looked, they were all fine! WHERE WAS HIS TEACHER?!

“Shit…… I wasn’t thinking straight.” He mumbled to himself with a hand on his head. “Now I’m the only one left because I abandoned my team.”

“Times up kid.”

Claude whipped around to see Jeralt slowly walking towards him. He tried to keep his cool despite knowing how outmatched he was. “So, I’m assuming you’re the one responsible for my teams elimination?”

Jeralt wasn’t listening as he continued walking and cracking his knuckles. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. You’re showing the most promise. But you let it get to your head, and now you’re paying the price.”

Weighing his options, Claude gulped as he realised there was nowhere else to go. Even the Blue Lions were out as well! It was just him!

Sighing heavily, he slowly raised his hands and dropped to his knees. “I surrender.”

“Good choice.” Jeralt grunted offering a hand to pick up Claude. “Saved yourself a trip to the emergency room. If I were you, I’d focus on not letting that power of yours make you cocky.”

“Yeah…….. thanks Professor.” Claude mumbled looking down at himself.

“Go and help Manuela pick up the others.”

“THE VICTORY OF THIS MOCK BATTLE GOES TO THE BLACK EAGLES!” Seteth yelled as Byleth gave a rare smile at her father for taking the win.

In truth, Byleth knew the Black Eagles would win simply because Jeralt was on the team. But at least she could take this mock battle and use it to try and improve her students.

“Hm. The brats did well, even though I saw that they burned their reserves too quickly.” Shamir said with her arms folded. “Still, they’ve made that much progress in just a week, so you’re doing something right at least.”

She then turned to focus her attention on Byleth. “Oh yeah, before I forget. Lady Rhea wants to brief us on our mission next month. You still up for it?”

“Of course.” Byleth replied. “I’m sure those three can take care of themselves while I’m gone.”

“Good. I’ll call for you when it’s time.”

Meanwhile, Seteth was trembling slightly at the battle. More specifically on the house leaders and Jeralt. Just what was going on? Those three were able to craft weaponry without magic, and he saw them shoot those blasts out of their hands! And on top of that, he didn’t even see Jeralt take out the other students!

“Big brother, you’re getting all sweaty again.” Flayn commented holding up a cloth for Seteth to take.

“T-Thank you Flayn. It must be the heat today.” Seteth said while dabbing his forehead and neck. But his eyes soon turned to the two mercenaries talking to each other. More specifically, Byleth.

_‘Just who is this woman? She can’t be hurt by weaponry, she eats up half the Monastery’s supply of food, and if that wasn’t enough, she puts those students through intensive training. Not to mention Sir Jeralt can move faster than I can even track!’_

“Are you okay? Maybe we should bring you inside big brother.” Flayn suggested, tugging on his arm. “We can do my breathing exercises together to help you calm down as well as myself.”

“Yes…… that is perhaps the best course of action. Though, I will be paying a visit to Lady Rhea later on.”

* * *

…

Later that day, Byleth was sitting at the edge of the lake, fishing to help pass the time. This was something that always helped her resolve, especially when today was quite a jam packed day.

“Professor. We were hoping to speak with you.” 

She looked behind to see Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude approach. Giving a nod, Byleth placed her fishing rod on the ground and stood up to greet them.

“We were hoping for an evaluation on our performance in the mock battle today.” Dimitri asked giving a bow.

“I suppose that’s only fair.” Byleth replied. “Well, I’ll get to you individually in a second. But in general, I was impressed by your performance at handling your Ki.”

All three smiled at this praise. That is, until Byleth gave a glare. “However, this is where the criticism comes in.” They were now shrinking under the glare.

“Edelgard, you tried far too quickly to output as much energy as possible and that resulted in you burning out and unable to move. Remember, Ki is YOUR energy. So if you use too much, that hurts you.”

“I……. of course my teacher.” Edelgard said looking at the ground.

“Dimitri. I liked how you tried to form a lance, but you’re not ready to do such a thing just yet. As such, you left yourself open trying to form it again and again. I would suggest you wait until you’ve mastered forming a weapon before bringing it into battle.”

The Prince nodded as he took in the words, knowing she was right.

“Claude. Out of everyone here, you have the most control over your Ki. But I think I don’t have to tell you that it went to your head. You completely ignored your own team and didn’t even notice you were the last one. Take this as a lesson.”

“Yeah, I got it Teach.” Claude said rubbing his head and sighed. But Byleth clapped her hands together and gave a small smile.

“But. Progress is progress. You three keep this up, then you should be great for your upcoming missions next month!”

This perked up the students as they nodded. Edelgard turned to her companions. “I propose that we focus on controlling our energy tomorrow.”

Dimitri gave a nod clenching his fists together. “Yes. I agree.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth Princess.”

Byleth watched them walk away talking and had to admit, it seemed that they got closer from doing all of this. It was nice seeing them actually not bicker back and forth.

“Miss Byleth.”

She turned around to see Felix and Annette standing there as Felix took the initiative and walked towards her. “I understand you have been teaching them how to use that power? I would like to request that I join in.”

“Yeah! Me too!” Annette cheered. “That was so cool how Dimitri formed a lance using that!”

“You two are aware of the type of training that I do, don’t you?” Byleth asked folding her arms and looking at the two students.

Felix was not fazed however, and gave a nod in return. “Yes, I am fully aware of it. But that won’t stop me, I aim to become the best swordsman in Fódlan and this will help.”

“I can handle anything!” Annette said pumping her fists. “You won’t be disappointed with me!”

Byleth closed her eyes in thought about these two.

Annette was……. well she certainly tried when it came to doing stuff. But that often made her cause more problems than when she started. She couldn’t lie though, Annette had great potential when it came to magic if she remembered the conversations from strangers. Perhaps that could translate into Ki too.

Then there was Felix. Byleth knew right away that if she took him on, then it would be a pain trying to wrangle him off of Dimitri. She didn’t like how Felix treated him, but couldn’t deny his skill with a sword. If he focused on Ki manipulation, then he could do well.

“Alright. I’ll let you two join.”

Annette cheered loudly jumping for joy while Felix just gave a nod in appreciation. “However. Understand that this is separate from your schoolwork. It’ll be before and after classes. I’ll get you when it’s time.”

“Yes! I’m going to learn how to make beam swords!” Annette cheered running away.

“Annette! Watch out for the-“

CRASH!

“……..barrel.”

“I’m okay! I think I broke my foot…….. but I’m okay! Beam swords, here I come!”

Felix sighed heavily, shaking his head as he walked away, wondering if it was wise to let her do this. Byleth felt the same way, but it was too late now to change her mind.

“Hey Byleth! I’ve been looking for you.”

Byleth had turned around to see Shamir walk down the stairs from the dining hall, looking a little different from the last time she saw her. Her jacket was now tied around her waist and her choker was off too. She walked to Byleth and raised a hand at her. “Yo. You able to come with me to be briefed?”

Giving a nod in response, Byleth put away her fishing rod at the stall where she got it and followed Shamir to the Audience Chamber where Rhea would be waiting.

“By the way, Petra from the Black Eagles wants to talk to you after we’re done.”

“Which one is Petra again?” Byleth asked as she scratched her head whilst taking in the scenery of the tall building.

“She’s from Brigid.”

“Oh yeah, the one who isn’t used to Fódlan language. I have a feeling I know what she wants to ask.”

Shamir nodded as the two made their way up the stairs. “That little spectacle at the mock battle seems to have given you some attention. I saw Felix and Annette approach you about wanting to be trained. How do you feel about it?”

Byleth hummed in thought and closed her eyes now that the two were outside the doors of the chamber. “I’m not sure. I don’t mind teaching others, as long as they put in the work. But, I’m not going to be here for long since I’m doing this assignment with you.”

“I’m sure their house leaders can help get them up to speed. Or even Professor Jeralt can help. Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to ask.”

She narrowed her eyes at Byleth who was looking at her with confusion. “How much are you holding back? I could barely keep up with Jeralts speed, and I’m assuming you’re just as powerful as he is.”

A second of silence passed, but Byleth knew she couldn’t explain her way out of this one. With a heavy sigh, she gave another nod. “I hold back a little. I’m honestly not that powerful. I mean, you’re catching up quite a bit, even with a weeks worth of training…….”

Shamir noticed her comrade thinking to herself and decide to ask what was wrong. “It’s weird…… I feel like I’m held back. Like this training I do isn’t getting me to my fullest potential.”

“Based on what I’ve heard of you, it’s hard to train when weapons can’t hurt you.”

Byleth now had a sad look folding her arms. “I just….. feel like there’s things about myself that I don’t know about. Nobody has a tail, or eats like I do. I just feel lost sometimes.”

Shamir was going to give a response, but the doors to the Audience Chamber were opened by the guards, which meant they were permitted to enter. She nodded to Byleth as the two mercenaries made their way inside and were greeted by the sight of Lady Rhea.

“I am thankful that you two were able to meet with me today. The mission I have assigned is not a difficult one, but one I feel that should exercise caution nonetheless.”

“We are honoured to take it Lady Rhea.” Shamir said with a hand on her hip while Byleth gave a silent nod. The Archbishop smiled and continued talking. What Byleth seemed to notice however was the constant glances that Rhea was giving her. Like there was something she knew that Byleth didn’t.

“Very well. There has been trouble in a town in the Kingdom of Faerghus recently. We are lead to suspect that it is the work of bandits, so when the Kingdom asked for the help of the Church, we were more than happy to oblige.”

This confused Byleth and she placed a hand on the side of her face in thought. “Why do we need to assist? Why can’t the Kingdoms soldiers do the job?”

“I asked that same question.” Rhea replied now looking at her. “It appears that they are dealing with something at the moment that requires most of their soldiers. But since it’s just a small matter on this town, I think that both of you can handle it yourself.”

Shamir gave a nod and looked at Byleth. “Anything else you want to ask? There’s no rush, we will be leaving at the end of the month.”

“No.” Byleth replied shaking her head. “I have nothing else to ask for now.”

“Very well. You may go about your day now.” Rhea said smiling and bowed her head in a praying matter. “I must return to giving the Goddess my blessings.”

“Of course, we will be on our way.” Shamir replied as she and Byleth made their way out back to the courtyard.

Rhea was by herself now, but only for a couple of minutes. Because Seteth came in, looking very afraid which worried the Archbishop. “Seteth? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is okay. I only wish to speak with you regarding our new staff.”

“Oh.” Rhea blinked, not expecting this conversation. “By all means.”

“Are you aware of this power? This ‘Ki’ that they use? Because I can’t help but feel unnerved by it.” Seteth said with his hands behind his back, as if acting like this is part of their daily reports.

“I am aware of Ki, yes.” Rhea replied now clasping her hands at her front. “I also know that a number of people at the Academy have started to learn how to use it, including Shamir.”

“Is this something we can truly trust them with?”

“Do you feel threatened by this power Seteth?”

“No.” Seteth said now narrowing his eyes at the Archbishop. “But it all comes back to Jeralt and his daughter Byleth. Who, by the way, I tried researching about. And I found nothing. It’s like she doesn’t exist. I do not like the idea of someone with no archived history running about the Monastery. Especially with that kind of power.”

“I trust her Seteth.” Rhea hummed closing her eyes. “She has been helping students reach their potential, and will do great things in the name of the Church. Do you trust me?”

”I…… yes. Of course I do. If you say she is trustworthy then I shall believe you.”

“I’m glad you think so. Onto a different subject, how is Flayn?”

Seteth blinked in surprise, not expecting the conversation to change to her. “She is doing well. She is in the middle of her meditation.”

“I see……. and you are certain we won’t have another…… incident?”

“That was a very long time ago Rhea.” Seteth said looking away. “And I would appreciate that you do not bring up that subject.”

“Yes, my apologies. I’m only looking to see you both safe.” Rhea whispered clasping her hands in a prayer again. Seteth could see that she meant well and nodded.

“I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you for your time Lady Rhea, but I must be going.” Seteth bowed towards her and quickly made his way out of the door. Rhea was alone yet again, and sighed softly continuing to pray.

“Mother……. how would you see sense in these times?”  
  


* * *

…

“You are certain that there is no data on her?”

Edelgard was speaking to Hubert in a desolate part of the Monastery, where nobody could hear what they were talking about. Hubert has a deep frown as he nodded.

“Correct. I looked through every available archive, and while there is information about Professor Jeralt, there is nothing about his daughter, Byleth. I fear she is a great threat. I would offer to dispose of her, but I now know that is an impossible task.”

“There is no need for that.” Edelgard said folding her arms. “I am positive I can make her an ally to the cause.”

“Speaking of allies. There is something else to discuss.” Edelgard was curious on what Hubert meant by that, and motioned for him to continue.

“Our ‘allies’ appear to be hiding certain goals and valuable information. I caught wind of an operation that they are doing in a town in the Kingdom.”

Edelgard couldn’t contain her surprise. Of course, she was only partnering up with them because their goals sort of aligned, but even so, she was usually kept well informed about their missions and plans. To not know about this one felt a need for concern. “Is it the same one that Professor Byleth is going to?”

“The very same, Lady Edelgard. How should we approach this?”

A pregnant pause was through the air as the Princess pondered on what to do. She would like to investigate this herself, but knew that was an impossibility. She’s still training and has to do work, so there would be no need for an extra body with two highly skilled mercenaries about. Especially when one of them was Byleth.

“We shall leave them to it for now.” She finally decided. “I’m sure I can ask them what their task was at the next meeting.”

“As you wish.” Hubert replied bowing to Edelgard. “I shall continue my research on our mystery mercenary. I bid you farewell for now Lady Edelgard.”

“Farewell Hubert.”

As she watched him walk away, she felt a presence behind her and turned around to see Dimitri and Claude approaching her. “Oh? I wasn’t expecting to see you two.”

“Well, we just wanted to see what this little conversation was.” Claude said winking at her.

“No, YOU did.” Dimitri corrected with a disappointed look. “And I had to make sure you respect other people’s privacy.”

He then turned to Edelgard and smiled. “Professor Byleth has asked us for our assistance in training some of our classmates on Ki.”

Edelgards eyebrows shot up in surprise. She wasn’t aware that Byleth would be taking on new students. “If I recall correctly, two of your own Black Eagles are wanting to learn. Caspar and Petra I believe. Meanwhile, Annette and Felix from my house are learning as we speak.”

“Yeah, Leonie practically begged me to ask Teach.” Claude said with his hands behind his head. “Surprisingly enough, Lysithea wanted to learn how to use it. Seems we’re getting a tight knit family, wouldn’t you say?”

Dimitri nodded at Claude as he turned his attention back to Edelgard, explaining further. “Since Professor Byleth will be doing her own mission with Miss Shamir at the end of the month, she wants to make sure our classmates know the training criteria so that they don’t feel lost by the end. We have to help too.”

“That seems reasonable.” Edelgard said adjusting her wristbands. “Are we doing that right now?”

“Indeed. They’re all at the same spot where we learned. Would you care to join us in practicing our mental strength?”

Edelgard gave a smile and nodded. “It wouldn’t be wise to waste an opportunity to train.”

“So it’s settled.” Claude declared getting in between the two and placing a hand on their shoulders. “Look at us, the Three Amigos!”

“…….I don’t know how I feel about that name.”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Ah, you two will warm up to it. But if you don’t like that one, how about Team Three Star?”

Dumbfounded expressions were on Edelgard and Dimitri’s faces as they walked to the field. “What does that even mean?”

“Well, we’re a team. There’s three of us. And we’re gonna be rising stars. Team Three Star!” Claude explained with a grin as silence just filled the area.

“I think I prefer the first one.” Edelgard muttered.

“Team Three Star it is!”

“CLAUDE!”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a good place to end it. So yeah, they’re starting to learn how to harness Ki, but nowhere near mastering it. Also we have some new students in the mix. Like I said before, only three from each house, so we only have one spot left for all three. Make your guesses on who they are.
> 
> So far we have:
> 
> Black Eagles:
> 
> Edelgard
> 
> Petra
> 
> Caspar
> 
> Blue Lions:
> 
> Dimitri
> 
> Felix
> 
> Annette
> 
> Golden Deer:
> 
> Claude
> 
> Leonie
> 
> Lysithea
> 
> And like I said before, only Shamir is learning out of the Church of Seiros team so, sorry to everyone that wanted SSJ God Kaioken x100 Gilbert, looking at you over there. But there is one more character who will learn it that’s not playable until later.
> 
> But yeah, I’ve been contemplating which techniques to implement. I always had the idea for Dimitri to learn how to forge weapons using his energy and I’m glad some of you suggested that from other forms of anime. And I will be using techniques from Dragonball (not the Kamehameha) I’ll have plans for that later…… maybe.
> 
> But yeah, hope this was a good chapter, I’m not good with fight scenes so I hope this was good.
> 
> Also feel free to check out the Ashen Saiyan on Fanfiction.net. Chapter 10 has just released.
> 
> Please review, rate and all that lovely stuff.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 1: White Clouds

The Kingdom of Faerghus 

_“You did it Jeralt! You did it!” Sitri yelled clapping her hands as Jeralt looked at the ball of Ki he made in his own hands._

_“Wow, this is pretty surreal to look at. This is my own energy?” He said holding it in front of his face. It felt…….. warm. Not only that, but it also felt familiar. Like a part of him. Jeralt supposed that was to be expected giving what it was._

_Sitri beamed at him and nodded, proud of what her friend had achieved. The whole process had taken around a month to do, which was mostly because Jeralt was busy with the Knights of Seiros. But at last, it had finally come to fruition. “So, what do we do now Sitri?”_

_“Now we can try and get you to learn how to control it. My Captain on Planet Vegeta always said that if you can’t control it, then you’re useless.”_

_“Jeez, your Captain sounded like a real asshole.” Jeralt muttered sitting next to her on the grass._

_“Oh he was. Bardock was a giant asshole, but I did watch him soften up over time. But I wasn’t in the squad after that.” Sitri explained looking up at the sky._

_“You never did explain why you left your squad and took on a job as a….. mechanic.”_

_“Well……. it’s hard to explain.” Sitri said looking down. The two were at the lake and had their bare feet in the water. She watched as she wriggled her toe looking at the water ripple under her. “We were all a tight knit bunch. Like a family I guess. We had recently gotten a new member called Gine.”_

_She had a soft smile on her face remembering that woman. “Honestly, you wouldn’t know that she was a Saiyan. The most kindest soul that you can ever meet. Purer than any nun in this place. But she wasn’t much of a fighter. She was always needing to be rescued by one of us.”_

_A dark look crept over her face as one particular night came back to her. “Unfortunately, that made her a target for others to take advantage of. This bastard on Vegeta had a thing for her. He was a higher up in the Pecking Order. Like a Noble around here. The squad and I were celebrating a mission well done one fateful night, and that man slipped something in her drink.”_

_Jeralt’s face tensed up and his jaw tightened, knowing exactly what he had done. “Doesn’t matter which planet, the same kind of monsters exist everywhere.”_

_Sitri nodded as she didn’t notice her aura slowly flaring up in her anger at the memory. “I knew something was wrong when I didn’t see her for a while. I told everyone I would make sure she was okay. I then heard screaming in the alleyway next to the bar……”_

_Her teeth gritted as cracks were starting to form on the ground. “That bastard was on top of her, trying to get her clothes off. She was begging him to stop and not do it. And at that moment, all I saw was red. I ran up to him, and shoved my fist in his chest. When I finally came to my senses, he was dying on the ground with a hole in his chest and Gine was curled up in a ball crying.”_

_Suddenly, she felt lightheaded as she started to have a coughing fit, hunching over as Jeralt rubbed her back in an effort to cease the fit. Soon enough, she managed to control herself. Jeralt then looked at her and asked what happened next._

_“I was put on trial for the murder of a higher class Saiyan. Luckily, because of our squads reputation, I was spared execution. Much to the dismay of the court.”_

_Sitri then chuckled briefly as another memory came to her. “Bardock managed to get me the job as a mechanic, and he even praised me for killing that guy. He told me that if it was him that walked into that situation, that man wouldn’t be recognisable by the time he was done. He always had a soft spot for Gine.”_

_But then her face was sad as she was just staring at the water at this point, as if forgetting Jeralt was there. “Gine though, couldn’t deal with it. Nightmares plagued her, and she eventually made the choice to leave the squad and worked at a meat factory. Bardock was obviously upset, but knew that this was the right choice. They got together and had two great kids……….”_

_Droplets of water were now falling into the lake which belonged to Sitri who was now crying. “They’re all gone…… I’ll never see them ever again will I? I’m all alone out here. Am I the only one that’s left?”_

_A hand was placed on her shoulder which made her turn to her left to see Jeralt smiling at her. “Hey. You can start a new life here. Maybe it won’t be exactly like Planet Vegeta, but Fódlan is a nice place to call home, don’t you think?”_

_She slowly smiled at him and nodded, wiping away her tears as her mood brightened up. “I agree. It’s a beautiful planet, and I’m sure Frieza will never find me here. Plus, I don’t think I’m going anywhere now.” She tapped at her green hair as a reminder of the change she went through after coming here. Sitri then stood up and placed her hands on her hips._

_“There is no time to waste! You want to be the best? Then we have to train hard! You’ll be the strongest human around when I’m done with you!”_

_She then started marching to the Training Grounds while chanting “Hup! Two! Hup! Two! Hup! Two!”. It made Jeralt smile warmly at her retreating figure. Five months have passed since she arrived and his life has been thrown for a loop._

_And he wouldn’t have it any other way. He quickly jogged up to Sitri to catch up, not noticing Rhea watching them in the distance. She was keeping a close eye on Sitri and her recovery and was pleased with the results._

_“A strong body and soul. This will work, I am sure of it. Mother, you will be brought back. I promise.”_

* * *

“That’s enough for today.”

A collection of groans sounded through the Training Grounds as Byleth watched her students collapse from exhaustion.

The month had passed by quickly ever since the Mock Battle and since then she took in new students. She was very impressed with how they all adjusted to the training. Maybe that was because they all took the time to train even outside of her lessons to try and get caught up quickly.

Byleth looked at each figure sprawled out on the floor and gave a light smile, evaluating each newcomer.

Annette had great potential to be a good fighter. She took in every word and was able to bring out her Ki in no time at all. Unfortunately, she had a habit of going too far and ended up either destroying equipment, or hurting herself. Byleth made a mental note to try and offer tips on maybe using her Ki as armour so that less injuries could occur.

Just as Byleth has predicted, Felix was a handful. He seemed to only want to focus on the physical aspect and get frustrated on why he couldn’t harness his Ki. She tried explaining that mental training is just as important. She has a feeling that this will take some time for him to understand. She was also trying to get him to respect others, especially Dimitri. Though that was easier said than done.

With the Black Eagles, she was very impressed with how easily Petra adapted to the training and was one of the first to unlock her Ki. She seemed very in tune with her surroundings and wondered if she did meditation when she was in Brigid.

Caspar however, was a different story. He took the longest when it came to bringing out his Ki, mostly because he wasn’t focusing properly. He only just managed to do it last week, and already injured himself on multiple occasions trying to shoot blasts. When she returned, she was going to teach him how to properly train mentally.

Over with the Golden Deer, Byleth had headaches when it came to training Leonie. She was very good at paying attention and even brought out her Ki early on, but her attitude could use a lot of work. Leonie seemed to be threatened by Byleths relationship to her father and wanted to prove that she was better than the mercenary. But Byleth wasn’t bothered too much since she at least put effort in the training.

And finally there was Lysithea. Byleth actually liked teaching her, as she was very good at paying attention and focusing. The only times she really got out of control was because if Claude. She had a vast pool of potential inside her that Byleth couldn’t explain.

Felix gritted his teeth as he picked himself off the ground, adjusting his weighted clothing. “Well? Are there any improvements? Can we take off this clothing?”

“As I told you before Felix, you don’t take it off until I say so. As for improvements, I am pleased to say that you have all improved dramatically over this past month. But now onto important things.”

The students all sat down on the grass as Byleth stayed standing up. “As you all know, I will be departing for the Kingdom of Faerghus tomorrow with Shamir. I don’t know when we will be back, but I’m hoping that it is quick. For that reason, your house leaders will pick up the training program for now so you don’t slack off.”

Edelgard gave a bright smile and nodded. “It is my honour Professor.”

Dimitri bowed to Byleth as he also smiled. “We thank you for this opportunity.”

“Don’t worry Teach, we will make sure that they stick to the program.” Claude said with a two fingered salute.

Byleth nodded in appreciation at this before another thought entered her mind. “You all have missions coming up this week too. This is where I must be serious.”

The students weren’t expecting this change of tone as they listened intently. “You’re going to be encountering bandits. And you will have to kill people. If you don’t, you will die.”

Several of the students suddenly had uneasy looks on their faces as Caspar raised his hand. “Can’t we…. spare them?”

“Ask yourself this question.” Byleth said. “Would they do the same for you? If not, then you need to survive. Ki is powerful sure, but it doesn’t make you immortal. I know this isn’t something you want to hear, my students, but in this line of work you will end up taking a life.”

A somber silence was around everyone as Byleth continued. “As for your training, I must stress. If you feel like you can use your Ki effectively, then you may do it. But I ask you all to look at your house leaders during the mock battle where they made countless errors.”

Edelgard had an embarrassed blush on her face as she suddenly looked interested in her shoes right now while Dimitri and Claude gave a little smile at their foolishness. “Now, as I am needing to prepare for tomorrow, I will not be teaching you today. You may spend today however you want to, but I imagine that you want to train more. Am I right?

She got a series of nods and watched as the group of students stood up ready to train. A small smile graced her face as she turned away. “So be it. House leaders, you know what to do.”

Byleth walked away and left her students to train for themselves. When they were out of sight Sothis appeared next to her. “ _It appears that you have a good ragtag of individuals at your hands. I hope that they do not actually try to use Ki too much on their missions._ ”

“They will be fine.” Byleth replied leaning on a supporting pillar. “I have faith in them. They’re all motivated and now have the basics down. I’m proud of them.”

She then noticed Sothis had a thoughtful look on her face and stopped leaning on the pillar. “Is everything okay?”

“ _I’m worried about the Kingdom. What could possibly be happening over there that they need outside help for a town? I have a bad feeling about all of this._ ”

“Yes, you’re right. It doesn’t seem like it all adds up properly. But we have Shamir with us, so just in case something does happen, then we can handle it.”

Before Sothis could reply, a new voice sounded out. “Hey kid. You got a few minutes?”

Byleth turned around to see Jeralt walking up to her with a warm smile. “Thought I’d come and check on you before your mission tomorrow. How are you feeling?”

She placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head in thought. “I find it strange that the Kingdom needs us.”

Jeralt nodded, copying the same expression as his daughter. “I agree. It doesn’t make too much sense, and the Kingdom has been pretty quiet lately on their internal affairs. I don’t need to tell you and Shamir to keep your guards up. Something is rubbing me the wrong way.”

“I will dad, but nothing can really hurt me anyway in terms of weaponry. Maybe if they have powerful magic users?”

“It’s possible. Anyway, I’ll leave you to get ready. I’ll help your students with the training before they leave for their missions. I believe the Blue Lions will be going to round up those bandits that attacked the leaders.”

“Oh?” Byleth said as they were walking towards her quarters. “What about you and the Black Eagles?”

“We’re mostly helping out other towns nearby with problems such as bandits and such. Though I have faith in the Blue Lions since they will be further out.”

That’s when he noticed Byleth’s tail freely moving about and hummed in thought. “Hey kid. Remember, keep your tail by your waist. Enemies will grab it and we know how that turns out for you.”

Byleth nodded as she allowed her tail to wrap around her waist. “I know you don’t like doing it kid, but it’s for your own good. Remember your training, don’t go too far, and don’t get cocky. You understand?”

“Yes dad, I understand.”

Jeralt smiled warmly at the response and ruffled her hair. “Good. I’ll let you get ready now. I’ll be over tomorrow to see you off.”

Byleth gave a small smile back and waved at his retreating figure as she turned around to enter her room. That’s when Sothis made herself known once again as she had a thoughtful look on her face.

“ _Is your tail that big of a weakness for you?_ ”

“Yes.” Byleth replied as she was going over what she needed to bring. “If my tail is grabbed, it’s like my whole body freezes up and shuts down. It’s why I don’t have it hanging about.”

“ _Hmmm……. perhaps there is a way to make it so it’s not such a crippling weakness? I’ve seen you have it unwrapped from your waist when you’re not outside. You clearly prefer it that way.”_

“I haven’t really given it much thought. Maybe you’re right. But right now, it’s not a big concern. We need to prepare for tomorrow.”

Sothis nodded when suddenly she let out a loud yawn and covered her mouth while doing it. “ _And…… I need to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning._ ”

Byleth nodded as Sothis disappeared back into her mind. She was now all alone as she sat on her bed, with a hand on her chin staring at the wall. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong in that town. That maybe they should be better prepared.

She then leaned back on her bed now staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. It wouldn’t do her any good by worrying constantly. The best thing she can do is be ready for anything. That’s really all she can do.

“I hope I’m wrong.”

* * *

“You ready?”

Byleth looked over to Shamir who was leaning on a wagon with a horse attached to it, ready to take them away. It was early in the morning as Shamir wanted to travel as quickly as possible to do their mission. Before Byleth could answer however, she heard a series of footsteps behind her. She turned around to see her students all ready to begin their daily training with Jeralt in tow.

“They were very eager to see you off kid.” Jeralt said smiling. “So I lead them to where you would be.”

“I wish you safe on your travels my teacher.” Edelgard bowed to Byleth as everyone else did the same.

“We will be much stronger for when you come back.” Dimitri smiled as Claude gave a thumbs up.

“Yeah!” Annette cheered. “I’m already not injuring myself…….. most of the time. But that’s better than all the time!”

“I am doing the working hard Professor.” Petra also smiled pumping her fist. “I will be much improved upon your return.”

“I’ll be much better! Just you wait!” Leonie yelled smiling as Byleth shook her head but smiled too.

“Be safe on your travels.” Lysithea said walking up to her with a pouch. “These are my favourite sweets. For the journey.”

“Oh, well thank you Lysithea. That’s very kind.”

“Good luck.” Felix simply stated. She couldn’t believe they all came here to wish her luck. She had only started teaching them for a month. Had she really made that much of an impact on them?

That’s when Jeralt placed a hand on Dimitri and Claudes shoulders who jumped at the contact. “Don’t worry kid, I’ll make sure the brats don’t slack off. They may be helping the others train, but I’m the master here.”

Everyone gulped at this declaration, especially on the Black Eagles side who know how tough Jeralt can get.

Edelgard cleared her throat and stepped forward. “I also have something for you. I figured now would be a good time to give it.”

She slowly held out her hand as Byleth saw what she had. It was a pendant with an obsidian black eagle insignia on it and it was lined with gold. Byleth looked at Edelgard who had red cheeks.

“I-I-It’s just to thank you for taking us on. And…… you helped me how to swim and-“

“I love it Edelgard. Thank you.” Byleth smiled as she took it out of the Princess’ hands and ruffled her white hair. Edelgard made a noise she didn’t think she could ever make.

“T-Thank you Professor.”

“We gotta get going.” Shamir said shaking her head but couldn’t help but smile at that little cute display. Somebody was definitely a teachers pet. Byleth gave a nod to the Mercenary and looked back at all of them.

“I will say this one last time everyone. Just because I’ll be gone doesn’t mean you slack off. Your house leaders will help you along the way, and Professor Jeralt has even kindly donated his time to also help. So listen to your superiors.”

“Yes Professor!”

She gave a small smile again and nodded getting on the carriage with Shamir as the horses started moving away. She looked one last time at her students waving her goodbye and gave a wave of her own.

Edelgard then felt a presence next to her, it was Claude with a wide grin. “So are we giving secret presents to Teach now? Does someone have a little crush?”

Her entire face went bright red at that implication and stuck her nose to the sky. “D-D-Don’t be ridiculous! I’m just thanking her for taking us all on!”

“Suuuuure.” Claude laughed slapping her on the back as she jumped, not expecting him to do that. But then Jeralt came into view and addressed everyone.

“Alright brats, lets continue with the training. You know where the pile is, now get going. Just to make it more interesting, the one who gets the least amount of boxes won’t eat.”

Shocked expressions came across everyone as they couldn’t tell if he was serious. But then he just smirked. “Get going. Or nobody eats.”

That got everybody to scramble to the pile of crates and boxes, and Jeralt chuckled looking at the retreating wagon. “Good luck kid.”

* * *

“Heh. They’ve really gotten attached to you, haven’t they?”

Byleth opened her eyes and sat up from the back of the carriage looking to Shamir. “Don’t think I ever saw students see off an instructor like that after only a month of teaching. You made quite the impact on them didn’t you?”

“I guess. I just showed them the ropes, and they just took that and made it into something bigger.”

Shamir closed her eyes and let out a soft chuckle. “On top of that, you’re humble. You’re certainly a strange case.”

Byleth nodded clenching her fists and giving a rare smirk. “I hope they get stronger, because I wanna spar with them!”

“……Is that the reason why you’re training them?”

A silence fell over the air as Byleth rubbed the back of her head laughing. “Well, fighting them is just a bonus! I’m also doing it because they want to get stronger.”

“I see. Don’t worry, I believe you.” Shamir replied as she looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. “We’re making good time. Why don’t we satisfy that itch of yours? You could also evaluate me to see how I’m doing.”

Byleths eyes widened, looking over to Shamir as if not expecting her to say that. “Of course I do!”

“Okay. We’ll make a stop in a couple of minutes and we can spar. No Ki attacks though, I’m not that confident in fighting you like that just yet.”

The wagon stopped just outside of a long, lush field with no trees in sight. They were outside Kingdom territory right now, and the landscape it had to offer here was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, and a cool breeze blowing through. It was nothing like the snowy scenery that they would be expecting soon. It was the perfect ground to spar.

Shamir hopped off the wagon and walked a short distance away so as not to potentially spook the horse, with Byleth following her closely behind. But Byleth had one question to ask. “Do you want to try with no weighted clothing?”

That sparked her fellow Mercenaries attention who pursed her lips and looked around. She then gave a small smirk and nodded. “Why not? I wanna see how much of a difference it made.”

With that said and done, Shamir slowly took off her jacket, which was a little difficult due to the weight, and tossed it onto the ground. Next came her gloves and she grunted as it was a lot more harder to do than her jacket since it was the task of getting her fingers out of it. But that was off in no time too.

Then Shamir sat on the lush green grass and proceeded to take off her boots. This was slightly easier as all she had to do was slip out her feet. Like all the other articles of clothing, that was gone too. She felt ready to go as she stood back up and looked at her sparring partner…….. and proceeded to cover her face with bright red cheeks not expecting the sight before her.

Byleth had taken off her clothing too, but she took it to the bare detail, as even her top and stockings were removed, leaving her with only her shorts on as well as her black bra. She was doing stretches to warm up but then noticed Shamir covering her face. “What’s the matter?”

“You’re practically naked Byleth.”

She tilted her head in response to that and looked at herself and then at Shamirs corset and top. “Well yeah, the gravity hex is also on our tops. I thought you wanted to test out your results?”

Now Shamirs cheeks darkened as she clutched at her shirt. It wasn’t that she was shy in showing her body, far from it. She just wasn’t expecting this day to go like this. But Byleth had a point. With a heavy sigh, she slowly undid the tight knots on her corset and without much effort, it fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Then finally it was her own shirt, which was more difficult than her jacket as it involved getting it over her head. But with her shirt now gone, she was finally ready as she adjusted the straps of her purple bra.

“You didn’t put the hex on my pants too did you?” Shamir said dryly as Byleth shook her head.

“No, I didn’t. That would make moving practically impossible. But hey, why not test out your power? You must feel a difference surely?”

Shamir paused when her partner said that and started bouncing on her feet. It was true. She felt much lighter than before. Next she tried running and almost tripped over her own feet from shock. She was faster too! She slowly looked at her hands and clenched them into fists, doing a couple of jabs in the air and just like the others, it was quicker.

“And that’s only from a month.”

She turned to see Byleth taking a stance in front of her. “Imagine what you could be like in a year. Add the Ki training on top of that, and you will be amazing.”

Shamir let out a small laugh also taking a stance. “You know, I was skeptical at first. But I’m glad you proved me wrong. I feel incredible!”

“Then let’s test it out.”

Byleth launched herself toward Shamir, aiming a punch at her, but Shamir was ready as she held her arms up to her face and blocked the oncoming blow. She remembered the first time that she sparred with Byleth back at the Monastery, and was surprised to see how the punch didn’t hurt as much now. Either Byleth held back or she got stronger.

Byleth then swung her leg up catching Shamir on her side, as she gasped at the impact. Thinking quickly, she pushed Byleth away and jumped back to try and gain some distance. But Byleth was on the offensive as she charged again, going for a jab to Shamir. But she was caught by surprise when Shamir flopped to the ground and swung her whole body around to sweep Byleth off her feet.

It caught Byleth off guard as she was now in the air, before Shamir delivered a powerful kick to her belly which sent Byleth soaring backwards as she landed on the grass, with a grunt from the impact. Shamir stayed in that stance as she watched Byleth pick herself up.

“Not bad. You managed to hurt me.”

A glint appeared in Byleths eyes as she let out a grin. “But it’s time we took this up a notch.”

She jumped to her feet and suddenly vanished from thin air. Shamir was quick to look around wondering where she disappeared to, and felt a blow to the back of her head making her fall face first into the ground.

Byleth landed on her feet and had a smirk on her face watching Shamir spit out grass that had gotten into her mouth as she picked herself up. “That was a cheap trick Byleth.”

But Shamir had a smirk of her own. “But, clever.” She then vanished too catching Byleth by surprise as a shadow came over her. She looked up and gasped seeing Shamir come sailing down with her feet outstretched and landed on her head, making it Byleth’ turn to eat the dirt. But Byleth quickly recovered and did a couple of backflips to gain distance. She gave a smile, despite some blades of grass still stuck to her lips.

“I wasn’t expecting that. Good job.”

“Thank you.” Shamir smirked now feeling pumped up. But then her eyes widened seeing Byleths aura flare up. “What are you-“

Byleth just stood there and smiled, beckoning her to attack. Shamir growled and charged forward to punch, but found her fist went straight through as Byleth slowly faded away. Shamir looked around and saw multiple Byleth. “What is going on?!”

One by one, each Byleth faded away until just one stood before her. “It’s a technique I learned. You essentially move so fast you create an after-image. It’s quite useful.”

Shamir just slowly smirked and shook her head. “I think that’s it for today. How did I do?”

“You did great.” Byleth said as the two women picked up their clothes and started putting them back on. “You’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger than when you started. I can’t wait to fight you again!”

Shamir rolled her eyes smiling as she adjusted her jacket making sure it was securely on. But then a large growling noise sounded as Shamir looked around to see the source…… until it landed on Byleth and just shook her head. It felt like doing that was a habit around Byleth. “We will be at the town soon. Just hold on a little longer.”

Byleth let out a loud whine clutching her belly as Shamir carried her into the wagon and sat on the seat to guide the horse again. Byleth couldn’t even move now due to being hungry so just laid there as the rocking of the wagon helped relax her.

Shamir let out a sigh, looking around at the Kingdom scenery as farms and buildings started to come into view, along with the familiar snow and cold environment that came with the Kingdom. Only a little while longer and they would be at the town that they were needed at. Thankfully, it only took half a day to get there, even with the time spent sparring. This was what Shamir wanted, as she honestly didn’t want to spend too much time here. She never did like staying for too long when it came to contracts. Thankfully, they arrived in front of the inn that the two were told to go to. She jumped off the wagon and walked to the pathetic display in front of her.

“We’re here Byleth.”

“Hungry…….”

Growling a little in irritation, Shamir booted Byleth off the wagon as the woman fell with a thud onto the snow. “Let’s get going. We’ll stop at the inn to check in.”

Byleth just kept groaning while getting up on her feet, as Shamir lead her to the inn that they were staying at. It was a cosy little place with a bar on the left, where a bartender was there lazily polishing a mug that she guessed he had been doing for a while, in order to avoid doing more work. Sets of tables were around the place which held a couple of residents either eating lunch or simply reading a newspaper.

“Hey! You got a reservation?”

Shamir looked at the bartender who had asked that question and nodded. “We’re from the Church of Seiros. Shamir and Byleth.”

A pale look had crossed the bartenders face. He was told to expect those two, especially the blue haired woman. “I’ll……. tell the cook that you are here. The mayor is in the corner.”

“Thank you. Come on Byleth let’s get moving.”

“Hungry…….” Byleth moaned holding her growling stomach as the pair made their way to a booth in the corner to find a man there.

“I thank you both for coming here.” The man said in a low voice looking at his newspaper. “I would like this meeting to be discreet. I’m hoping that the attention will be on your friend.”

Shamir nodded as the two women sat on their chairs while the man looked at them. “I’m the mayor of this town. And lately there has been some…… concerning developments.”

Before anyone could continue, a series of plates and baskets filled with meat, fish and bread began crowding the table as Byleth hugged the server. “Thank yooooouuuuu! I love yooooouuu!”

Everyone just watched Byleth dig in at a rapid pace as the mayor cleared his throat. “I’ll take care of the bill. Don’t you two worry.”

Shamir was looking down, tracing her finger on the various knife markings on the table as she got the topic back on track. “Explain.”

His face turned serious, remembering the task at hand. “Ah yes. Lately, these shadowy figures have been arriving and claiming that the Goddess is a sham and to follow a brand new cause. Now as you know, the Kingdom of Faerghus holds the religion to a high regard, so I didn’t take too kindly to this. I told them to leave and never come back…….”

“I’m guessing that they didn’t?” Shamir said sipping her tea.

“No. Soon after they arrived, the children in the town started to disappear. On top of that, our cattle has been found in the morning dead, slit by the throat. We have trouble farming in this environment as it is, so this puts us in even more trouble. These cultists must be responsible. You are the towns last hope, as the Kingdom are too busy.”

Byleth was listening while devouring a bowl of meat. She believed it was cow, and it was delicious. But this definitely was a concerning fact. She didn’t really care about the whole religion part, as she wasn’t raised with knowledge of the Church. But kidnapping children and killing cattle was all she needed to head into action. “We will be able to carry out your task.”

“I’m surprised you were listening due to stuffing your face.” Shamir grunted while nibbling on toast. The mayor was just happy to hear them accept it.

“I would like for you to ask around the town. The residents might be able to assist you. I would do it myself, but those visitors have been keeping an eye on me and I think if I act out of line…….”

“We understand sir.” Byleth said dabbing a napkin on her face as the women stood up, and turned away to walk out the door. But not before her eyes travelled to the bartender who was still polishing his glass. She walked over and leaned on the counter. “What do you know about these visitors?”

The bartender shrugged leaning back placing his glass down. “Not much. All I know is that lately the residents have been too afraid to go outside. It’s hurt business since nobody wants to get a drink or a bite to eat.”

“Thank you.”

Byleth slow turned around and walked outside, with her feet crunching the snow beneath her. Shamir appeared next to her and placed a hand on her hip. “Where do you think we should start?”

“We’ll talk to the farmers. I’m thinking that we can grab their attention if we keep on talking to people.”

Shamir nodded, walking ahead. “Let’s play this smart. I have a feeling there’s more going on here than we thought.”

Byleth watched her partners retreating figure and looked around, snowflakes falling down every so often which made it clear that a snow storm would come soon. Not wanting to waste time, she made her way to Shamir.

What the women didn’t notice however, was a hooded figure peering from a corner of a building before hiding away and kneeling down to look at a purple orb he was holding. Lord Arundels face appeared as he stared down the figure. “Do you have a report?”

“Just as you predicted, my Lord. The monkey girl is here.”

“Good. Choose your time wisely, and dispose of them. You have the weapon provided?”

The figure reached into his robe and pulled out a knife. But it seemed shinier than a regular knife, and had a faint black aura around it with hexes imprinted on the blade. “I do my Lord.”

“And you have backup just in case. This weapon will take care of her.”

“Of course my Lord. It will be done.”

Lord Arundel nodded and the orb returned to its normal glassy appearance as the figure stood up, retreating away into hiding. The storm was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be part 1 of a mini arc involving this town. So yes, Shamir and Byleth are answering the call in the Kingdom of Faerghus, unaware that Those Who Slither in the Dark have been expecting them. This is easily a chapter that’s setting up what’s to come, but I think the focus on two characters might help.
> 
> Also like I said before, there’s still 4 characters who will be learning Ki. 1 from each house and 1 not in either. Who is it?
> 
> As always please review guys.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 1: White Clouds

More Than Meets the Eye

_“This isn’t like him. He was supposed to be back two days ago.”_

_Sitri was on top of the Monastery walls looking out to the distance and trying to find a sign of her friend. Jeralt had been out on a mission with the Knights of Seiros and was supposed to be back by now. But he wasn’t. What’s more, is that there hasn’t been a single message sent to confirm that they would be delayed. Jeralt always sent a message if he was being held back._

_“Are you still troubled by Captain Jeralt, my child?”_

_Sitri turned around to see Lady Rhea approaching her, who looked very regal in the moonlight. “It is quite late at night my child, we all need to rest.”_

_“I know. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. You know Jeralt would say something if he was to be delayed.”_

_“We can only hope the Goddess can guide him home.” Rhea said clasping her hands together. That didn’t make Sitri feel any better. In fact it made her mad._

_She hated the way that this planets inhabitants always seemed to throw their problems or solutions to this ‘Goddess’ person. Sure, she can understand everyone has a faith to hold onto. But nobody seemed to think for themselves around here. And Rhea was no different. Why not just go out and find them?!_

_That’s when Sitri had an idea as she sprinted over to her room and went into the chest at the foot of her bed and pulled out her scouter. She quickly fixed it onto her ear and pressed the button to turn it on. “Come on…….. boot up already…….”_

_“My child, what are you doing?”_

_Rhea was wondering what had gotten Sitri in such a state that she felt like she had to check in on her. But Sitri wasn’t paying attention, and Rhea saw why when she saw the scouter and her eyes narrowed. “Who gave you that?”_

_Sitri gasped when she saw a multitude of power levels in the vicinity that Jeralt was in. And she knew that he didn’t take that many knights with him. “Jeralt is in trouble! I have to help him!”_

_She started to run out her room but something grabbed her arm. She turned around to see Rhea clinging to her arm who had a dark look over her eyes. “I cannot let you go out there!”_

_“But he’s in trouble! He will be killed!”_

_“We can send help over but not you! You’re too fragile!”_

_That hit Sitri deep as she let out a growl yanking her arm away. “Let’s get something straight Archbishop. I may be severely weakened, but I can still blow this entire land to dust, so don’t call me fragile. Second of all, I am not your lost puppy! I am a Saiyan! And I am going to help my friend!”_

_With that parting sentence, Sitri ran outside as a white aura formed around her with Rhea running after her. “Sitri please! Don’t go!”_

_“Get away from me!” Sitri yelled before completely shocking Rhea as she started flying away. It was something the Archbishop has never seen before. But now she was beyond worry. And she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists together._

_“That stupid girl is going to get my mother killed!” Rhea yelled as she turned around with a crazed look. “Knights of Seiros! To me!”_

_In the air, Sitri was using her scouter as a guide to Jeralt as the wind blew in her hair which gave her a sense of ease, despite the situation. It had been a while since she actually flew so she was loving this. But right now, her focus was on her friend. “Come on Jeralt, don’t die on me….”_

_…_

_“Captain! There are too many of them!”_

_“Where did they come from?!”_

_“I’m getting overrun!”_

_“Stay strong men!” Jeralt yelled dodging a swing from a sword as he stabbed his attacker through the throat. He doesn’t know how these attackers got here, or what purpose killing him and his men were. All he could do right now was defend as best as he could, but even that was becoming an impossible task with no hope of any reinforcements arriving._

_“Kill the followers of the Goddess!”_

_Jeralt dodged another attack in the form of a lance and forced his hand against the attackers chest and shot a Ki blast that went straight through his chest, killing him instantly. He was trying to not use Ki attacks since he hadn’t trained on how to properly control it. Right now, each attack he used drained a huge portion of energy making him more exhausted. He barely ducked out of the way as an arrow whizzed past his head when he saw mages charging up dark magic._

_“Captain! We can’t hold them off!”_

_“Men! Group up with me!”_

_Jeralt picked up a shield off the ground from a fallen knight as the remaining members of his squad grouped up behind him as the mages charged up their spells. He knew he couldn’t block it, but hoped that at least he could protect the others. “Men! If I fall in battle, you run and you don’t look back! Do I make myself clear?!”_

_“But Captain-“_

_“That’s an order!”_

_He grit his teeth bracing himself for the impact as the mages all fires their magic and the orbs of darkness sailed towards the group. Jeralt closed his eyes and waited for death._

_…….It never came._

_He slowly opened his eyes to see a red barrier was around him and his squad. That’s when he saw a certain someone standing in front of him. It was Sitri, who had her arms crossed in an ‘X’ fashion. She deployed a Ki barrier to deflect the incoming magic. She blew out a breath and started coughing once the barrier dissipated. “Sorry I couldn’t come sooner Jeralt.”_

_“Sitri. Your illness. You can’t be out-“ Jeralt started to say but Sitri cut him off._

_“Don’t worry about me. We need to get you and your men to safety.” She was in a stance staring down the attackers who were confused at the newcomer. Jeralt nodded at that and looked at his men once more._

_“Men, you go to the Monastery and you get help. You don’t come back without reinforcements, you understand? We can handle it from here.”_

_“Yes sir!”_

_Jeralt took a stance beside Sitri as his men all started running away. She pressed the button on her scouter to scope out the various power levels. “I can say that there are 59 enemies around here. Let’s try and pick them off. Their power levels aren’t anything to write home about.”_

_“Got it.” Jeralt replied._

_“Who is this?” The leader growled clenching his fists. This was supposed to be an easy assignment. Yet this woman shows up out of nowhere and disrupts the plan when it was so close! “Everyone! Kill those two!”_

_“Get ready!” Sitri yelled._

_“I’m always ready!”_

* * *

Byleth let out a sigh as she and Shamir walked out of a house, which was the fourth one they went to. So far, they weren’t able to get much leads on these visitors, other than them kidnapping the families children and killing the animals. It just didn’t make sense. She hugged her arms as the snow had started coming down harder than when they left the inn.

“Where else could we ask?” Shamir asked holding her hand against her forehead in an attempt to stop the snowflakes from hitting her face. “But then again, I doubt we can get anything out of the townsfolk, it seems that they either don’t say anything or are just as clueless as we are.”

Her partner hummed in thought, placing a hand on her cheek. That’s when her ears perked up and the hair on her neck tingled, as she sensed something nearby. That’s it! That’s what they can do. Byleth closed her eyes and let loose a breath, clearing her mind. Shamir tilted her head and wondered what Byleth was doing.

That’s when Byleth opened her eyes and did something that Shamir had never seen before in her life. She started levitating off the ground. Not like a mage going a few inches, but steadily flying skyward. She was flying! Byleth was flying!

While Shamir was freaking out over this, Byleth closed her eyes again and managed to sense some individuals who had strange fluxes in their energy. But suddenly, they disappeared just like that. Like they realised what she was doing. “Damn it…..”

Sighing heavily, she dropped back down to the ground, with the crunching of snow beneath her feet being louder in the cold, quiet afternoon. That’s when she heard the sound of someone’s throat clearing. Confused, Byleth turned around to see Shamir standing there with her arms crossed and looking very annoyed. “What?”

“So when were you going to tell me that you can FLY?!”

Byleth blinked slowly, as if registering what she just said, before laughing quietly. “Oh yeah. I can sort of fly. I’m not very good at it yet, so I don’t use it that often.”

But then Byleth’s face turned serious, remembering what she sensed. “Someone is around here. They’re hiding from us, but I sensed them for a second.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too. It was faint, but I sensed it.” Shamir replied as she was looking around, trying to see anything but unfortunately found nothing. “But back on the main subject, why didn’t you teach me how to fly? Do you have any idea how much time we could’ve saved?”

A giant sweat drop formed on Byleths head as Shamir loomed over her, eyes glinting dangerously. Byleth started waving her hands in front of her and stammered, trying to explain. “I-I’m not good at it yet, a-and you know, get the basics done first you know?”

Byleth then bowed her head and dropped to her knees clasping her hands together above her head and whispered. “Please don’t hurt me…….”

Shamir just sighed and shook her head, helping Byleth up to her feet again. “Why don’t we make up for lost time and you can just teach me how to fly. Besides, we’re not getting anywhere just chasing people who don’t want to be found. Let’s come up with a plan and try again tomorrow.”

“Right!” Byleth nodded, giving a smile but let out a small ‘eep’ when Shamir glowered at her again. “In the meantime, you’re going to teach me how to fly.”

“W-Well, in all honestly its not that difficult to actually do, you just need to keep practicing. Come with me and I’ll show you.”

Byleth grabbed her hand and lead Shamir over to an open patch of land just outside town which was caked in snow as it kept on falling. She then stepped back and looked at her partner who was standing there with her arms crossed. “There’s not really a big explanation Shamir, but the best way I can explain is that you have your energy at your core right?”

Shamir nodded, watching Byleth point at her abdomen. “Okay, so all you do is push it down until it’s below your feet.”

Byleths face scrunched in concentration as the snow started melting around her due to how much energy she was putting out in an attempt to give herself lift. After a few moments, her feet lifted off of the ground as Shamir covered her face to stop the snow hitting her, but watched in awe at Byleth flying, even if it was for the second time. “So, just like that huh?”

As if on cue, Byleth fell to the ground with a loud groan, looking tired. It seemed that it drained a lot out of her, but she gave a shaky smile. “Yeah, just like that.”

Shamir looked down at her feet and repeated the instructions in her head. Just push down the energy to her feet. Just push it down.

She took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled as the snow started to get blown away under her feet as she slowly rose up the ground. Byleth struggled to hold in her glee as Shamir went higher and higher until her feet were level with Byleths head. Shamir then groaned loudly and fell with a thud just like her partner. She panted hard trying to catch her breath before slowly looking up. “This is……. liberating to say the least.”

Shamir got up to her feet and dusted the snow covering her trousers. “If you’re struggling with this, then I propose something. Whenever we aren’t investigating these visitors, let’s try and perfect flying. This would be a highly beneficial ability to have, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I agree, but I just never found time for it.” Byleth said, walking back to the inn with Shamir who shook her head and pumped her fist.

“Then let’s make the time. It will help us in future missions too.”

“I guess……”

“What’s the problem? Usually you would be thriving for the chance to train.”

“It’s just a feeling I have.” Byleth replied, still looking around. “It’s like you said, I fear that there is more going on here than just killing livestock and kidnappings. I fear it’s……. sinister. It’s weird, but it seems that there’s more going on with Faerghus itself too. Why couldn’t they help?”

“Your guess is as good as mine. I usually spend my time outside the territories of Fódlan. Honestly, the Church feels like the only safe place nowadays, and that’s saying something considering my beliefs.”

They were entering the inn as the bartender sauntered off to the kitchen to prepare food for the pair as they sat in a booth. “That reminds me Shamir. Why did you join the Knights of Seiros? You don’t strike me as someone who believes in the Goddess.”

“You would be right to assume. I don’t believe in the Churches teachings.” Shamir replied, holding out a hand for a cup of tea to appear for her. As if on cue, the bartender handed her a mug filled with the amazing liquid she loves so much. “But Lady Rhea helped me once. I felt like joining the Knights would be my best way of repaying her. So why didn’t you join the Knights?”

Byleth shrugged as her tail wrapped tighter round her waist. “I never grew up around the Church. To the point where I only found out about the Church last month when I arrived. My dad did everything he could to keep me from it.”

Shamir raised her eyebrows in surprise as she set her mug down. “Now that’s surprising how you’ve never known anything about the Church. But from what I’ve heard, Professor Jeralt doesn’t seem too keen on the Church.”

“How so?”

“Well, going by what I have heard, he pretty much abandoned the Knights. Why he did that, I have no idea. But to keep you from it must mean he really doesn’t like the Church.”

Byleth looked down again, as if thinking back to the events of Remire Village. “He didn’t seem thrilled when Alois arrived……”

And then she remembered what Jeralt warned her about. ‘ _Keep your guard up around Lady Rhea. I don’t know what she’s planning._ ’

“…….Shamir, can I ask you something? What’s your opinion on Lady Rhea?”

Shamir raised her eyebrow at that question and shrugged. “Well, she helped me so-“

“No, I mean what do you think of her as a person?”

Now she had a surprised expression on her face. But then that gave way to a light chuckle. “Wow. You’re actually the first person to ask that question. Most people just paint her as this holy being.”

Shamir looked around so as not to attract unwanted attention and leaned in. “But my opinion of her? It’s hard to say. I know that’s a shit answer, but……. Lady Rhea always has this mask about her. Like she’s hiding something. I know that’s a weird thing to say, but I feel that she’s done stuff that she isn’t proud to admit. Wouldn’t exactly be this holy Archbishop if people found out that she had flaws now, would she?”

Byleth was silent during this entire evaluation of their employer. She wasn’t satisfied with that answer. She felt like Rhea was interested in her, and her alone. The way that she would steal glances at her and had this passive look in her eyes. Like she knew something about her that Byleth didn’t. It was frustrating to say the least, but thankfully she had somewhat of an ally in Shamir when it came to Rhea.

“Jeez, I’ve never seen you think and eat at the same time. It’s fascinating to say the least.”

Byleth blinked and realised that she had an entire turkey leg in her mouth. She must’ve spaced out for who knows how long. “You okay Byleth?”

“Yeah, just thinking about the mission.” Byleth said and continued eating. “I’ll be taking an early night tonight.”

“What? But it’s only 7pm. Why go to sleep now?”

“It’s what dad always taught me.” Byleth said dabbing her mouth with a napkin, now full. “Always be asleep before the full moon. I’ll see you in the morning Shamir.”

“Wait, Byle-“ Shamir didn’t have time to call out as Byleth already went upstairs leaving behind a confused Shamir. “Full moon? Is she talking about that ridiculous legend? Surely not……”

“You mean the Moon Monster?”

Shamir turned to see the Bartender clearing tables as he heard what she said. “It ain’t no legend miss. It’s very much real, my dad saw it with his own two eyes.”

She rolled her eyes and sipped at her tea. “And what exactly is this monster?”

He blinked, not expecting her to continue the conversation, but he cleared his throat, continuing to clear tables. “Hard to say, but all I know is that it happened in neutral territory. Dad described it was like a great ape, and it devastated a forest and mountaintop. Happened about fifteen years ago. Nobody has seen it since. The gospel spread around like wildfire, about how you must never be out on a full moon otherwise the monster will get you.”

“Don’t you think that sounds silly when it’s only appeared once?”

“Maybe. But I’ve seen the damage for myself. Anyway, that’s not why I came over. I have something that could help you.”

Shamir raised an eyebrow but motioned for him to continue. At the stairwell, Sothis was listening in to that conversation as she had a hand on her chin thinking. ‘ _A monster every full moon? That would be a cause for concern. But it does seem weird for Byleth to avoid this monster at all costs, I would’ve assumed that she would try to find it. And beat it up._ ’

She then shrugged it off and floated back to the room where Byleth was sleeping. She honestly looked peaceful and serene while resting in her bed. Nothing like the training obsessed buffoon that she had learned to tolerate. But now Sothis was thinking about the mission.

‘ _Hmmmm… I have a feeling that those two are right. I’ve had this strange feeling ever since we arrived at this town. The residents here are scared. That much is true. But it feels like much more happened than just what the mayor let on. Maybe he simply can’t bring himself to explain it? Who knows…. It’s like these visitors are waiting….._ ’

Sothis then started yawning and stretched her arms, and smacked her lips. ‘ _I suppose…… we will find out….. tomorrow…….._ ’

Meanwhile downstairs, Shamir was in shock at what she just heard from the bartender. “You are joking.”

“Why would I lie about that miss? The mayor wants to help, but those visitors…….. they’re something else. They were using something that wasn’t like magic. They used weaponry that formed on their hands, it was unlike any form of magic I’ve ever seen. They were the ones who told the mayor to ask the Church.”

“So…… there is nothing wrong with the Kingdom right now?”

“Well, not exactly. We heard rumours of a rebellion happening but nothing that couldn’t prevent the Kingdom from sending help. But the leaders direct orders were to contact the Church. We fear that it may be a trap for you two. It’s you they want.”

‘ _That explains why we’ve been sensing energies but they end up hiding away again. So this could all be an elaborate trap?_ ’

She reached into her jacket and pulled out a large pouch of gold. “Thanks for the tip. Here, take this.”

He smiled widely and took it out of her hand, looking in the bag to make sure it was real. “Thank you so much!”

Shamir nodded, watching the bartender quickly walk out of the area as she looked at the full moon shining bright in the sky. She just shook her head and laughed to herself. “Heh. Moon Monster……”

* * *

“So, what’s the plan today Shamir?” Byleth asked as the snow storm had passed, leaving behind a fresh layer of snow today. The two were up and about early as Shamir lead them to the mayors house. Shamir looked focused this time and turned to her partner.

“I got a good tip last night. We were right Byleth, there’s more to this. We just need to find some answers. And the mayor could shed some light on this little mystery.”

They got to the door of the mayors house as Shamir knocked on the door and stepped back, looking around. Byleth noticed Shamirs recent paranoia and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“I know we will. I’m just worried about what’s waiting for us there.”

The door opened to reveal the mayor who had a surprised expression. “Oh, good morning you two. How can I be of service?”

Shamir looked around to make sure nobody was looking. “We were hoping to acquire some additional info. And we want the whole truth.”

His face turned serious as he realised what she was talking about and let them inside. “We will have to be quick. They have ears everywhere. I’ve been dying to tell you but the dastards won’t leave me alone. We should be safe here. Now, what would you like to know?”

“We heard that they asked you to specifically contact the Church. Is that true?”

The mayor nodded, looking out the window to make sure nobody was around. “Yes. They wanted a certain someone to show up. Now, I don’t know the exact circumstances but it appears that they were waiting for your partner as they predicted the Church would send her.”

Byleth blinked in surprise at this revelation. Her? What did she have to do with these people? To her knowledge, she had never met them before. The mayor seemed to have read her thoughts and continued.

“I’m afraid I don’t know all the details. But our orders were to keep you two in the town for as long as possible. Now at first, I said that was a ridiculous request but…… well, you know the rest when it came to our children. They threatened to keep them locked up if I didn’t try to keep you here. I apologise for misleading you two.”

The two mercenaries looked at each and nodded, before looking back at him. “You didn’t have a choice, you have no need to apologise. But now this mission just got a whole lot more complicated. Why did they want Byleth?”

That’s when the mayor widened his eyes when he heard a knocking at the door and started shoving them out to the back door. “You need to be quick! If they know we’re talking, I fear what will happen to the children! Just please wait a little longer!”

The next thing the women knew, they were back on the snow covered streets as the door slammed shut. Byleth looked behind at the now locked door and hummed. “Well, it seems that something spooked him. Perhaps it was one of the visitors?”

“Perhaps. Those dastards are really starting to get on my nerves.” Shamir said dusting snow off of her coat. “Let’s try and find them by flying. We can cover more ground and it will help build up endurance.”

Byleth nodded to her partner as the two took off with concentrated faces, now high in the air.

The mayor breathed a sigh of relief as he thought that he got the women out of harms way. But then he was grabbed by the shoulders and tossed to the floor. “I must say, I’m disappointed in you. We had a deal after all.”

He had a panicked look as he saw a robed figure looming over him with two others holding him in place. “But it’s your lucky day. You’ll be part of…… our new plan. I do hope you’ll comply.”

The mayors eyes widened as he was hoisted to his feet. “What’s going on? Where are you taking me?!”

“All in due time, my friend.”

* * *

Byleth was now alone high in the air looking around when suddenly, Sothis appeared again. ‘ _It’s such an amazing ability to be able to fly. I’m almost a little jealous._ ’

“It’s still hard to control. You have any idea where they could be Sothis?”

‘ _Hmmmm….. they are certainly not wanting themselves to be found that’s for sure. Or maybe…… they’re waiting for an opportunity? The mayor did mention they were after you. But why? Your power? Your strength? This is a puzzle that won’t be solved until they reveal themselves._ ’

Byleth nodded as she listened to her words. She touched back down to the ground to catch her breath and put her hands on her hips, looking around the towns scenery. “I guess we should keep looking- ACK!”

Sothis was startled to have heard Byleths screams of pain as she wheeled around to see a shocking sight. A robed figure had Byleths tail in his hands and was squeezing hard. She looked at Byleth who had a glazed look on her eyes and fell to her knees. ‘ _Byleth! BYLETH! Get up!_ ’

That’s when Sothis remembered Byleth describing how her tail worked. Her entire body shuts down. The robed figure produced a knife ready to plunge into Byleths chest and the spirit was panicking wondering how she could help. Sothis couldn’t do anything! She was just a spirit in a hosts head! What could she do?!

‘ _……..The Divine Pulse, that’s it!’_

But before Sothis could summon the glyphs to turn back time, a foot connected with the robed figures head, causing him to let go of the tail and go crashing into a bunch of barrels, which caused the townsfolk to run away in panic. Shamir landed next to Byleth and helped her up.

“Thanks…… Shamir.”

“Just when I think you’re done teaching me brand new things, I learn that you have a tail. We can focus on that later though. It seems that they finally revealed themselves.”

As if on cue, a couple of dozen figures in robes appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the pair as the women kept their guards up. “Bring forth the hostage!”

That’s when the crowd parted and out came two figures who was holding the mayor in place as he tried to break free. What looked to be their leader appeared alongside and held a knife in his hands as he addressed Byleth. “Surrender your life, Byleth Eisner. And I will spare this man.”

A dark look appeared over Byleth as she lowered her stance, ready to attack. “Using a life as a hostage? How low can you go?”

“Well, you tell me. Will you surrender?”

She glared at him and balled her fists together as Ki formed around them. “No.”

“I see. That’s too bad.”

And her eyes widened once he shoved the knife in the mayors chest, killing him instantly and the leader threw the mayor onto the hard concrete with the snow being stained with his blood. But then everything turned purple as Byleth realised where she was. Everything was frozen in time. Just like Remire Village.

‘ _You idiot! Why didn’t you try to save him?_ ’

She turned around to see Sothis there with an angry look on her face. Byleth suddenly felt sheepish as Sothis stormed towards her. ‘ _Don’t your stupid eyes work? That was a hostage! You need to do everything in your power to save him!_ ’

“R-Right. Sorry.” Byleth muttered rubbing the back of her head.

Sothis just groaned loudly slapping her forehead. ‘ _What am I going to do with you…… right. Let’s try this again. And this time, don’t screw it up. You have the ability to wind back time, so I say that you should make use of this very generous ability._ ’

Byleth nodded and took her stance. Time started rewinding slowly until finally they were back at the point where the mayor was dragged out.

“Surrender your life Byleth Eisner, and I will spare this man.”

This time however, she was prepared as she turned to Shamir and yelled. “Shamir! Close your eyes!”

Byleth jumped high into the air as Shamir did as she was told while everyone was confused in what was happening. The mayor had his head hanging down so he didn’t know what was going on. Byleth was now blocking the sun and put two fingers on both sides of her head and closed her eyes before yelling.

“SOLAR FLASH!”

The entire town was lit up in a blinding white light and the snow just made the light that much harsher as everyone who was looking up was affected. It caused all the robed figures to scream in pain, and clutching their eyes from the harsh light as the leader dropped the mayor while covering his eyes in pain. Byleth landed on the ground and grabbed the mayor before turning to Shamir. “Run!”

Shamir nodded and took off with Byleth carrying the mayor on her shoulders. As the light died down, the leader managed to regain his vision and growled, turning to his men. “DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY!”

The trio hid in an alley to catch their breath as Shamir looked at Byleth. “Why did we run away? We could’ve taken them all out while they were blinded.”

“Because remember, the kids are being held somewhere. Mayor, do you know where they are being held?”

“Y-Yes! I do! I can direct you to them, but this seems like a suicide mission! There are too many! Oh please Goddess, give me strength……”

“Don’t worry. We can handle it.” Shamir replied. “Just lead us to where the kids are. And please don’t start praying just yet.”

“Of course! Follow me!”

The pair nodded as the town was swarming with the robed figures who tried to look for them. The leader growled again and punched the wall as it cracked from the force. “WHERE ARE THEY?”

“Sir, if I may?”

The leader let out an angry exhale but kept his composure and turned around. “What is it?”

“Perhaps they went to free the children we took? It would make the most sense, wouldn’t it?”

“……..Excellent point.” The leader grinned pulling out his sword and tome and started marching towards the spot where they kept the children. “Men, you know what to do. Bring the girl dead or alive. Our Lord demands it.”

On the outskirts of town, the mayor was running alongside Byleth and Shamir and pointed to a barn in the distance. “There! They’re being kept there!”

That’s when an arrow whizzed past them and stuck on the wall of the barn. They turned around to see the robed figures. And they were all piling out of the town by the dozen. There must have been thirty or forty of them, all with weapons out. Byleth narrowed her eyes and took a stance again, before addressing the mayor. “Free the children mayor. We will handle this.”

“You can’t be-“

“Do as you’re told!” Shamir growled drawing her bow. “Go! We have this covered!”

“R-Right!”

An arrow whizzed towards them again and grazed Byleths cheek before hitting the ground. She let out a grin and looked at Shamir. “If they’re using weapons then that’s no problem-“

Byleths eyes widened when she felt a trickling sensation down her cheek. She pressed a finger to that spot and looked at her finger and widened her eyes. It was blood. She was bleeding. That arrow made her bleed!

Now she was panicking. If that arrow did damage to HER, imagine what it could do to Shamir. She got her composure under control and yelled. “Shamir! Be careful! They’ve done something to the arrows! They’re more deadly than regular ones!”

“Dammit! Why can’t it be simple?”

“Life is never simple.”

They turned to the leader who still held his knife and had a wide grin while approaching the pair. “You Goddess worshippers are all the same! You try and repel anyone who dares challenge the Church! We will reign supreme with your death! And the Archbishop will soon follow!”

Dark looks appeared over the women as they didn’t take too kindly to that. “Listen, none of us worship the Goddess. But if you dare threaten the life of Lady Rhea, then your life is forfeit.”

“You are completely out of your league.” He grinned as a dark aura formed around his body which made Byleths eyes widened.

“It’s Ki.”

“What?” Shamir gasped. “Are you sure?”

“It’s unstable, but there’s no denying what it is. Whoever these enemies are, they have strong weaponry, as well as Ki. This might be tougher than we thought. Okay Shamir, I’ll take the twenty five on the right, you take the twenty five on the left. First one to beat their side wins.”

She chuckled quietly drawing an arrow. “Everything’s a competition to you. You’re on.”

“ATTACK!” The leader roared as the mages started charging with Byleth charging too and Shamir staying behind.

“I hope we can make it. For everyone’s sake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was definitely a hard chapter to write. I know it’s a whole lot of talking but it’s more setting up the lore of the story on top of that. I hope it’s not too confusing. But hey, the final part of this arc will end next chapter. All action, so classic Dragonball Z.
> 
> So yes, that’s another DBZ technique used under a different name, and it appears that these guys know about Byleth, even down to her tail. Could it be the same enemies Sitri also fought? I’m pretty you all know who these guys are.
> 
> Also here’s a question. Obviously if given the opportunity, Byleth can go Super Saiyan God. Do you want the students and Shamir to learn God Ki? Just something I could do later down the line.
> 
> Also do keep in mind, we have four more students left to learn Ki. One from each house, one that isn’t.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 1: White Clouds

The Power of Ki

_“Is…….. that all of them?”_

_“Yeah, I think so.”_

_Both Sitri and Jeralt were panting hard and sitting on the ground which was littered about with corpses. They had managed to dispatch every one of those robed figures that had attacked the Knights of Seiros. Jeralt sighed, as he sheathed his sword and adjusted his gauntlets. They had come loose overtime from the constant punches and swinging of his sword. But he had one thing on his mind. Who the hell are these guys?_

_He got up off of the ground and spotted the corpse of one of the figures and decided to try and see if there was anything that could give any leads to the identification of the attackers. He kneeled down and started searching the pockets of this corpse before he found a medallion on his person. It was in a teardrop shape but it was the symbol emblazoned on it that made him concerned. An arch surrounding a circle with an eyeball in the middle. There were many fine details on this medallion. But this unsettled Jeralt to no end. “This is some creepy cult stuff…. was it because we are part of the Church? Is that why we were attacked?”_

_That’s when he heard a groan and the sound of something hitting the ground. He wheeled around to see that Sitri had collapsed and was coughing violently. Her adrenaline was completely gone and now her condition had caught up with her. Jeralt dropped the medallion and quickly ran over to her, kneeling on the ground. He rested her head in his lap as she managed to get her breathing under control. “That was….. a very risky stunt you pulled Sitri. You know how bad your condition is. But you came anyway?”_

_She let out a weak cough and smiled up at him. “I……. didn’t want anything to happen to you. I care about you, you know? If I didn’t get here on time……”_

_“Hey, none of that speculating. What matters is that we’re alive right?” He gave a smile to Sitri who turned away blushing. But she smiled back as a feeling in her chest came up. A feeling that she had for a while but couldn’t say. Maybe now is the right time to say it._

_He then pumped his fist and smiled. “And hey, what would I do without my best friend huh?”_

_………What?_

_Sitri sat up with her hair covering her eyes as Jeralt was confused at the sudden change of mood. “Sitri? Are you-“_

_WHACK!_

_Jeralt suddenly found his head buried in the dirt with a large throbbing lump on his head from where Sitri hit him with a very annoyed look. “You are so insufferable Jeralt Eisner!”_

_A new voice entered the scenery that was booming across the fields. “The Knights of Seiros have arrived- what in the name of the Goddess happened here?!”_

_Sitri turned around to see Alois and the Knights of Seiros had arrived, and they were looking around at the amount of corpses that littered the battlefield. Alois stepped forward and gave a stern look. “Miss Sitri, that was a very foolish move you made by coming to the battlefield. You know your illness so kindly don’t get in trouble-“_

_He froze seeing the deep scowl on Sitri’s face as she held her hand out behind her and fired a Ki attack that caused a massive explosion and completely vaporised the robed figures. The Knights all cowered in fear as Sitri took off her scouter and glared at Alois. “Do I look like I’m in trouble? I did your job in half the time. Now get out of my way.”_

_She barged past Alois who just stared at her retreating figure, wondering what’s wrong with her. That’s when he heard muffled groaning and saw Jeralt trying to get his head out of the ground which caused Alois to panic. “Captain Jeralt! Are you okay?”_

_He sprinted over to his Captain and hoisted his head out of the ground as Jeralt was spitting out dirt that had gotten into his mouth. “I’m fine. Though I’m wondering what I said to piss off Sitri.”_

_“Well if I may Captain, it is possible she is experiencing the woman’s monthly routine-“_

_Alois didn’t even get to finish his sentence as a stone collided with his head sending him tumbling to the ground. Sitri was glaring in the distance at the two as she turned her nose up and marched away, barging past the cowering knights. Alois groaned rubbing his head as a large lump formed on it just like Jeralt. “The scoundrel! She attacked the Knights of-“_

_“Let it go Alois. I’m not sure what I did, but I know it’s best not to antagonise her when she’s angry. Sometimes I forget she can wipe out the entirety of Fódlan.”_

_The pair turned around to see the scorched battlefield, with no bodies in sight which didn’t bode well with figuring out the identity of the attackers. Alois rubbed his limp and groaned. “That woman just made this investigation impossible to figure out!”_

_“I have a feeling that this isn’t the last that we will be seeing of them. Though, I guarantee that they will be more hesitant when it comes to attacking out of the blue like that. We do have Sitri to thank for this, as we would’ve been dead if she didn’t show up.”_

_“Why Captain, you sure do seem to respect her a lot.” Alois said with a wide grin as he jabbed his Captains ribs. “Do I sense a wedding in the future?”_

_Jeralt cheeks went red at that suggestion as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t be ridiculous Alois. I’m merely just acknowledging her skills and strength.”_

_“But your cheeks were red!”_

_“Drop it Alois. That’s an order.”_

_Meanwhile, Sitri had stormed off to the carriage that had Lady Rhea in it who did not look happy at the moment. Both of the women inside glared at each other as Sitri spoke. “I’m not in the mood for a lecture Archbishop. So whatever you have to say, save it for later. I saved your knights and your Captain.”_

_But Rhea just sighed heavily in return and gave a weary smile. “No, I should apologise. You did the right thing in going after them. I forget that you’re a lot more powerful than anyone here. Just…… please think before you act next time. I don’t wish to lose you after going through so much to save your life.”_

_Sitri sighed and looked at the floor of the carriage as she saw the Monastery come into sight. “I suppose I could’ve handled the situation better. Very well, I’ll keep myself in check in the future. Archbishop, would you care to join me for tea when we return?”_

_Rhea smiled brightly at the offer and clasped her hands together. “I would love nothing more my child.”_

_They sat in a comfortable silence with the gentle rocking of the carriage easing their nerves. “……So what happened between you and Captain Jeralt? You seemed angry at him.”_

_“Ugh, don’t ask. That man is impossible.”_

* * *

_“And you are positive that there were no survivors?”_

_“No, my Lord. They were all completely wiped out.”_

_Two figures were speaking in a dark, dimly lit room as the one sitting on a throne stroked his beard in thought. A pause hung about the air before his face gave way to a smirk. “Good. We now know the power of that woman. Tell me, how are we doing on gathering data on her vessel?”_

_“It is still taking some time my Lord, the technology on this vessel is far more advanced than our own.”_

_The white skinned figure rose from his throne and walked up to the subordinate and placed a hand on his shoulder. “See that you do. We made the right choice in salvaging that vessel. The data that is in there can bring our plan to fruition.”_

_“Well actually, Lord Thales. We do have one subject of data salvaged.”_

_Thales raised an eyebrow and motioned for the subordinate to continue. “It is a form of spiritual energy called Ki.”_

_A wide and unsettling grin appeared on Thales face as he leaned forward. “Continue.”_

* * *

“Professor Manuela! On your left!”

Manuela grunted as she managed to roll out of the way of a bandits axe swing, the force being enough to dent the ground in front of her. This was not how she imagined this mission to go. She thought calling in that favour from Hanneman to switch houses would’ve been a genius plan. But now she was missing the simplicity of the chaos from the Golden Deer.

* * *

_“What? You cannot be serious Manuela! The decision has already been made!”_

_Hanneman was in his room writing about his latest findings in Crest research. That was when Manuela came in and demanded they swapped houses. She let out a chuckle and pulled out a slip of paper between her breasts and waved it in his face. “Do you remember that time that you asked, no- BEGGED me to spend three months worth of salary for a ridiculous artefact for your research? And you said I can ask for any favour?”_

_Manuela smirked and slammed the paper on his desk, and revelled in the nervous, sweaty look on her colleagues face as she placed her hands on her hips. “Well, I’m cashing it in! You will lead the Golden Deer, and I will lead the Blue Lions!”_

_“But this is preposterous! We have missions assigned in a couple of days, we would have to relearn strategies!”_

_“Then you better get to work on devising a lesson plan. Have fuuuun!” She sang while waving goodbye with a big grin as Hanneman slammed his head onto his desk with a giant groan, not believing what just happened._

_Manuela pumped her fist in the air and jumped for joy. Finally! She can actually get lessons done. It wasn’t that she hated the Golden Deer, far from it. She just felt like the Blue Lions would be a better class for her to teach. Things were finally looking up!_

* * *

“Why couldn’t I just stay with them?” Manuela groaned as she cast Nosferatu on the bandit that attacked her, draining his life away and in the process restoring her stamina. She stood back up and dusted off her clothes before turning back to the students she was leading.

They were assigned to dispatch bandits in the Red Canyon, the same kind of bandits who attacked the house leaders. But Manuela didn’t notice that an archer had snuck behind and notched an arrow, and by the time she turned around she couldn’t react in time as the archer prepared to fire. But then a lance whizzed past her head and impaled itself on the archer which threw him back and killed him.

She turned around to see a Dimitri had made a lance out of his Ki and actually saved her life. He bowed to his teacher and smiled “Please be careful Professor, we would hate to lose you.”

“Focus boar! We almost have this!” Felix growled slashing a bandits chest open with his iron sword before blasting him away with a Ki attack.”

“I got you Mercie!” Annette yelled diving in front of a Mercedes and forming Ki around her body to act like armour as the axe that swung toward them shattered upon impact.

“Thank you very much Annette.” Mercedes beamed and healed her friend from any damage she took so far.

Somehow, this was more chaotic than the Golden Deer. But if it wasn’t for the Ki training they did, then they would be goners.

“………I need to thank Byleth after this is over.”

* * *

“That should be the last of them.” Claude said wiping sweat off his brow and gave Hilda a high five while watching her do a little victory dance.

“Yeah we fended them off!” She cheered. Hanneman however, was staring right into Claudes eyes who backed away nervously.

“Now, now. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wonder if your Crest helps with this Ki that you use….”

“I-I wouldn’t know.” Claude chuckled trying to get out of this. “I just use Ki.”

He watched his Professor walk away scribbling on his notes and Claude saw Lysithea talking to Leonie and had an evil grin on his face.

“What are you planning? I want in.” Hilda smiled standing next to him.

“Hang on a moment, I’m going to try something.” Claude produced a ball of Ki from his hand and hovered it in the air and started to control it. “This’ll be so good.”

He hovered it behind Lysithea and started making noises which made her freeze in fear. **“OoOoOoOoOoOo……….”**

Lysithea turned around and shrieked loudly seeing the ball. “AAAAAAAAAAH! IT’S A GHOST! RUUUUUN!”

Claude and Hilda were on the ground laughing watching the girl run away screaming as Lorenz huffed. “This is not how someone of your station should be acting.”

“A fascinating ball.” Ignatz said adjusting his glasses. “Like a fairy. It feels warm too.”

Raphael scratched his head and poked it but retracted his hand while clutching it. “Ow! It hurts to touch it!”

“You know, she’s not going to be happy.” Leonie pointed out munching on an apple.

“CLAUDE VON REIGAN!!!” Lysithea screamed sprinting towards him with red cheeks.

“See?”

“And with that, I better run.” Claude said laughing. “Hopefully she’s not used to the weighted clothing just yet.” He saluted his team and ran away with the younger girl not far behind.

“YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, IT’S NOT FUNNY!” Lysithea yelled while flailing her arms.

* * *

“Why are we meditating?!”

Caspar groaned loudly as he stood up when attempting to do mental training. Edelgard, Petra and Jeralt were side by side trying to ignore Caspar and focus on meditation. Jeralt opened his eyes and glared. “Like I said many times, mental training is just as important as physical training.”

“If you’re not going to contribute, then go away.” Edelgard said with her eyes still closed. “I’m sure Ferdinand can help you with sparring.”

“I would be honoured! Come this way Caspar!” Ferdinand smiled.

The rest of the Black Eagles just watched as Dorothea pursed her lips. “Never tried meditation.”

“It is most beneficial for the mind.” Hubert explained staring at Edelgard. “Lady Edelgard has been doing it even before training due to her lifestyle causing so much stress.”

“I wish I could live stress free…….” Bernadetta mumbled looking at the group.

“It’s good to know that Linhardt decided to try meditation too.” Dorothea smiled looking over to her classmate. “Look at him. So relaxed, he must be in a zen like state-“

“Zzzzzzzzzzz……”

A giant sweat drop formed on Dorothea’s head as she placed her hands on her chin. “Never mind. I should’ve known….”

Jeralt however, was distracted on his training. Because he could sense Byleth and Shamir fighting. And it didn’t seem to be going in their favour.

‘ _Kid……. be careful._ ’

* * *

Meanwhile, Byleth and Shamir were fighting the cult figures who had attacked the town they were assigned to investigate, and this was honestly harder than they realised.

Byleth was able to fend them off, that much was certain. But the problem was that their weaponry were able to hurt her, and severely damage Shamir too. They had to be careful if they were going to win. Byleth punched a Cultist in the stomach before using the knife dropped to stab him in the neck. Another one tried to jump her and grab her tail but was shot in the neck by an arrow.

“I’m fine Byleth, just try and take them out! I’ll pick off any stragglers!” Shamir yelled shooting another arrow between one of their eyes causing a body to flop to the ground. Byleth nodded and closed her eyes before jumping in the air and charging Ki into her fists before dropping down and slamming it into the ground, causing bodies to fly in all directions.

Shamir grunted as she realised that she had no arrows left. “Right. Time to see if this will work.”

She pulled back the string on her bow, and while she did that a line of Ki formed to resemble an arrow. Shamir then released it but missed a target. No matter though, she directed it with her hand and it curved around stroking the target in the back of the head. She pumped her fist smiling at that ability. “Alright, now we’re getting somewhere.”

At the back of the battlefield, the leader just shook his head with a small chuckle and pulled out a dark crystal pulsing with energy. “It’s adorable how they think they can win. It’s time for Project Goliath to come into effect.”

He approached a wounded fellow cultist and knelt down beside him. “Do not fail Lord Thales, Goliath.”

With that, he shoved his hand in the wounded mans chest as the crystal started to fuse into his body and pumping dark and red energy in him. The man screamed loudly as his body started transforming and getting bigger.

Byleth had just kicked a cultist into a rock and fired a Ki blast into another ones face, before her head throbbed sensing a powerful Ki source. She grunted in pain clutching her head. “What the hell?”

She slowly turned around and gasped as she saw a man grow up to 8ft tall and had giant muscles on his body. His robes torn to shreds leaving only pants on him to preserve any dignity. But what really stood out was a dark purple aura around him as well as his eyes glowing red. The leader smirked and pointed to Byleth. “Go Goliath. Kill her.”

Goliath thumped his chest and let out a massive roar that echoed throughout the sky and started charging. He ended up knocking away his fellow cultists but all he was focused on was his target, who just stood there dumbfounded. She couldn’t move at all. She couldn’t believe this much power existed.

‘ _Snap out of it you idiot!_ ’

Byleth blinked, hearing Sothis shout at her before jumping away just in time before the Goliaths fist slammed into the ground, causing a crater to form as if a cannonball has struck the earth. Byleth was afraid now. One wrong move and she was done for. But that moment of thought proved to be costly.

That’s when she screamed as she was grabbed by the throat as the Goliath started choking her. Shamir was trying to get to her but was surrounded by cultists who threw her to the ground. “BYLETH!”

Byleths body went limp as her throat was crushed by the Goliath. Her vision went blurry as he tossed her to the ground. However, just before her life faded away, she made one final thought in her mind.

‘ _Divine……. Pulse……. 30 seconds…….’_

Then everything froze and slowly everything around her started turning back in time. Byleth collapsed to the floor wheezing and holding her neck, being able to breath as her injuries started disappearing. She was alive. But barely.

‘ _That was way too close for comfort. I thought you were going to be careful you idiot!_ ’

She turned around to see Sothis was there and looked down, realising her hands were shaking. She almost died. “I’m not sure if we’re going to win.”

Sothis had a sad look on her face as she placed a hand on Byleth’s shoulder, looking at the Goliath slowly going backwards along with the rest of the surroundings. ‘ _Plan for every possibility. Try going for the leader. If he falls, then the others should follow. Time will resume in 5 seconds. Make it count._ ’

Byleth gave a nod as she was back in her original spot from where the Goliath was about to grab her.

5.

She clenched her fist and stared at the mutated human.

4\. 

His hand slowly went towards her as time started to resume.

3.

Her eyes narrowed and she cupped her hands in front of her.

2.

A bright ball of Ki formed at her hands, with it growing bigger and bigger as the Goliath loomed over her, ready to take her life a second time.

1.

She grinned at her opponent before screaming the words. “ASHEN BLAST!!!”

The ball shot of her hands and collided with the Goliaths chest as it sent him flying a couple of feet, before she clenched her fist and watched as the ball exploded causing a huge explosion. The battlefield was silent as everyone waited with baited breath to see what the aftermath of that attack was.

The Goliath was laying on the ground as he groaned in pain. He had scorch marks all over his body, but…… to Byleths horror, he wasn’t down at all. He picked himself up and his eyes trained on Byleth. He clenched his fists and growled lowly in anger.

“Hurt…….. rip……… and tear………”

‘ _How tough is this guy?_ ’ Sothis screamed. ‘ _He may be injured, but don’t let your guard down!_ ’

Byleth gulped as she dodged a swing from the Goliath, wondering how she was going to get to the leader. All she could do was fight for now. His Ki was pulsing sporadically as he roared again swinging towards Byleth, but she vanished in thin air and slammed her elbow onto his neck, forcing him on his knees as she slammed her foot on the side of his head, bending his neck to an unnatural angle while Byleth landed on the ground after that kick.

“Right…… that should be enough to finish the job.”

“Rip….. and tear……..”

Her eyes widened as she turned her head to see him snap his neck back into place. “You’re kidding…….”

But before the Goliath could charge, an arrow struck his back which angered him greatly. Shamir was there as she had her bow out. “Byleth! Take the leader down! I’ll handle it!”

“Are you sure-“

“Just do it!”

Byleth hesitated on leaving Shamir to fight this thing, but knew she was right. She had to defeat the leader, and this Goliath was only getting in her way. “Sothis, how many Divine Pulses can you do?”

‘ _For now, I can only do three more. My power is too weak right now, so please be careful._ ’

“Noted. Thanks.”

She kicked the Goliath in the head as Shamir hit him in the chest with her elbow, the cultists all gathered around the fight between those two, while Byleth got through the crowd and stared down the leader who had his tome out and glared at her. “You will not leave here alive, Monkey Girl!”

“Wrong. I have my students to return to. And I won’t leave you here while you hurt people for your own selfish needs!”

He grinned as his tome glowed black with a dark aura. “Goliath will take care of you two. Now come!”

Byleth nodded and charged at him, but was unable to hit him as he had a shield around him, a shield that was too tough for her to break through. He swung his sword and managed to cut her arm as she screamed in pain. This was an entirely new feeling for her. She hasn’t ever felt pain before.

But strangely…… her blood was boiling in excitement. This was it! This was a great fight with stakes! This was what she was looking for as she had a feral grin on her face which unnerved the leader as he cast an orb of dark Ki. Byleth dodged it and hit the shield again to do avail. That’s when she had noticed something. The shield was in a diamond formation. Could it be possible that there were weak points?

“Byleth!”

Byleth turned around and her eyes shrunk in horror as the Goliath had Shamir in his hold and shot a dark Ki blast straight through her chest, killing her instantly. He grinned in delight dropping the limp corpse to the snow covered ground and turned towards Byleth. “No……… Divine Pulse! 10 seconds!”

Her surroundings shattered like last time and started rewinding just to when the Goliath charged his Ki blast and she fired her own which struck him on the back, distracting him. Which is what Shamir needed as she kicked his head causing him to let go of her arm and she backflipped away readying her bow.

Byleth then yelled in pain as an arrow struck her in the shoulder as she whipped her head to see an archer behind the leader taking pit shots at her. She quickly dispatched of him with a Ki blast and ripped the arrow out of her shoulder, cringing at the pain it caused as she tried to stop the bleeding. But the leader wouldn’t give her that chance as he launched another dark orb. Byleth grit her teeth and slapped the orb away causing it to slam into a tree. She hissed in pain clutching her hand as that attack was painful to the touch and she full on hit it away. The leader just smiled and his tome just radiated dark energy while staring down Byleth.

“Impressive. But you two won’t last long.”

“AAAAAAARGH!!!”

“No! Not again!” Byleth yelled turning to the scream of pain.

Shamir was kneeling on the ground as the Goliath ripped her arms off as she fell back onto the ground. The Goliath then slowly formed a giant sword from his Ki and stabbed it into her chest. Shamirs eyes dulled and Byleth screamed the command.

“Divine Pulse! 5 seconds!”

She wasn’t going to let Shamir die. Sothis appeared next to her again, but this time she looked completely exhausted and pale. ‘ _Remember! I can only do one more! I already…….. feel weak……._ ’

Byleth growled as she ran up to the Goliath and jumped on his back and charged a Ki blast in her hands before she yelped being thrown back by the Goliath. But she bought Shamir enough time to get out of the way and shoot arrows at the Goliath as he roared in pain. He was being slowed down with each blow, but he was still more powerful.

He tried grabbing Shamir again but she flew in the air and tried shooting arrows. He roared again and grabbed a fellow cultist and threw him in the air which collided with Shamir causing her to land hard on her back as she coughed up blood from the impact. “Come on Shamir…… stop letting him push you around!”

“Rip! And tear! Rip and tear!” The Goliath roared as his aura flared up before he punched the ground, with the shockwave throwing Shamir in the air. Byleth gasped as she tried to stop the Goliath but screamed when the cultists tackled her to the ground as the Goliath fired a beam from his hand and it impaled her in her chest as Byleth watched her partners eyes dim down once again. Shamir flopped to the ground, life gone from her eyes. Byleth roared as she shouted to the sky.

“DIVINE PULSE! 10 SECONDS!”

Sothis was once again next to her, but now fading away as she coughed weakly. ‘ _That’s……. the last one……. until I can recover. Make it count…_ ’

With that final warning, Sothis disappeared entirely. Byleth couldn’t feel her presence.

Byleth was angry now as just like before, the cultists all piled on top of her. She let out a roar and used her Ki to throw everyone off of her and flew towards the Goliath, tackling him to the ground as Shamir managed to recover. The big man roared and threw Byleth off of him, while Shamir panted clutching her shoulder. “Right. No more tricks. I’m taking you down, you dastard.”

Byleth yelled in pain as a knife struck her leg which the leader held. She grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes before punching the top of the shield, which caused it to crack. “I knew it. There are weak points!”

So she started whaling on the sides and tops of the shield as it cracked more and more, with the leader looming worried as he tried punching yet couldn’t. Byleth had a feral look in her eyes as she punched the shield again and again and again, until her final punch shattered it. The leader fell on his back as Byleth grabbed him by the throat and lifted him. “You’re finished.”

“If anyone is finished, it is your partner.”

Byleths eyes widened as she whipped her head around. Shamir was tossed on her back and rolled out of the way of the Goliath’s foot that would’ve caved in her skull, as she grabbed a fallen cultists knife and stabbed the Goliath in the leg with it. He roared and backhanded her which made her vision blurry from the impact as he pulled the knife out of his leg.

He formed the giant sword made out of dark Ki just like the last time he killed Shamir and swung in a wide arc, killing cultists around him, but Shamir used her bow to take the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, it split in two and threw her back again on the ground. But with a sudden surge of adrenaline and no bow, she charged with a broken end and tried to stab him. The Goliath just grabbed her hand and head butted her sending her crashing on her back.

Byleth watched in horror as the Goliath picked up Shamir by the throat once again and looked towards the leader with an uncharacteristically calm look. The leader in question grabbed Byleth so she couldn’t run away and grinned. “Do it! Kill her!”

The Goliath turned to Shamir and was about to crush her throat when Shamir suddenly punched his face.

But this time, he went limp and fell to his knees. Shamir was still standing with her hair covering her eyes. Everyone was confused and the cultists were horrified. What just happened? That’s when Shamir grabbed the Goliaths head and pulled her left arm away, showing a Ki blade over her wrist embedded in his eye. It dripped with blood as he collapsed, dead with no Ki feeding him anymore. She won. And the Ki blade disappeared from her wrist as she growled, while looking around at the cowering cultists.

“Anybody else want a piece?! Huh?!”

“S-She killed the Goliath! It can’t be!”

Byleth gave a tired chuckle, absolutely relieved to see her partners victory as she then glared at the leader, with a Ki blast in her hand. “We have some questions to ask you. You will come with us. Do not resist.”

But the leader just laughed loudly, not caring he was being threatened. “This is just a temporary victory. We got all our data on Goliath, and effective he was. Next time, you won’t be so lucky. You freak. Brothers! Join me!”

That’s when Byleth saw a capsule on his tongue as he bit down on it. She started shaking him trying to get him to spit it out but his eyes rolled back with foam coming out if his mouth. She dropped his writhing corpse and stepped back in shock. “Cyanide……”

Shamir saw everyone drop dead as they also took the cyanide and toon their own lives as she fell to her knees. She grunted and shook her head. “Cowards…….”

“Shamir…….” Byleth coughed while holding her shoulder as she also fell to her knees. “Let’s find……. The Mayor…….”

But her vision blurred and now she was face down in the snow with Shamir chuckling and fell down too, her own vision darkening. “We did it……”

In the distance, the Mayor slowly got out of the place where the children were kept and looked around for any Cultists. A little girl clutched at his leg and whispered. “Are the bad people gone?”

His face slowly gave way to a smile and he laughed. “They actually did it. They did it!”

That’s when the townsfolk all came out of their homes, choosing to stay inside once they heard the battle and slowly walked out to the clearing and saw all the fallen bodies. But then a woman gasped when she saw the little girl clutched to the Mayors leg. “My baby!”

“Mommy!”

The families of the children started running towards them and the children weren’t going to just stand around, as they ran off to their parents arms. One of the mothers walked up to the Mayor holding her daughter and smiled. “Mayor Shepherd, thank you so much.”

“Oh do not thank me, my dear. Thank the Church.”

As if he snapped out of a trance, Shepherd realised that he forgot about their saviours. “Everyone! Find the two Mercenaries!”

“They’re over here Mayor!”

He trudged on through the snow and saw the unconscious forms of Byleth and Shamir. He smiled in relief to see that they were both safe. But they were injured and needed immediate medical assistance. He turned to a couple of the men and nodded towards the pair. “Get them to the inn, and the doctor will be with them soon.”

A bunch of men picked the two up and Shepherd stopped them. “Be careful. They’re heroes.”

* * *

**_“Wake up.”_ **

****

…

**_“Wake. Up.”_ **

****

…

**_“Oh for crying out loud, would you open your eyes already?!”_ **

****

**_Byleth’s vision blurred as she found herself completely surrounded by darkness. She hissed in pain holding her head and got herself into a sitting position._ **

****

**_“Finally, your thoughts are awake at least.”_ **

****

**_She looked up to see Sothis sitting on her throne, just like the first time Byleth met her. She now realised where she was. Back in her thoughts alongside her spiritual partner._ **

****

**_“That was much too close for comfort. We almost didn’t make it out of there alive. You’re lucky that Shamir had that Ki blade on her wrist or else you both would’ve been goners.”_ **

****

**_That’s when Byleth noticed Sothis had a few cuts and bruises of her own and had a bandage on her shoulder. Sensing her confusion, Sothis explained to her._ **

****

**_“We share experience, you and I. Unfortunately for me, that means I have to bear your scars. Especially your shoulder injury.”_ **

****

**_She hissed in pain as she tried to move her shoulder, but doing so only made the pain worse. Byleth was still sitting down and had one question on her mind. “How long have I been out?”_ **

****

**_Sothis leaned back on her throne and purses her lips in thought. “Hmmmm…… well, you’re still out technically. Only your mind has woken up so far. But even then this has been three days since we both lost consciousness.”_ **

****

**_“THREE DAYS?!” Byleth yelled standing up abruptly which caused Sothis to cringe and clutch her head._ **

****

**_“Please do not shout, I’m not fully recovered myself.”_ **

****

**_She then took a deep breath and nodded. “But yes, that battle did quite a number on your body. I guess since it was the first time that blades and arrows actually hurt you, it was a little overwhelming.”_ **

****

**_Byleth looked down as she remembered those weapons. “They were enchanted in a way.”_ **

****

**_“Indeed. I saw the hexes that they sported on their blades. Definitely dark magic, and yet not one that I am familiar with. But there is a bright side to all of this. We saved many innocent lives, and it’s a good job that Lady Rhea sent us to do this, otherwise some unfortunate souls may have met with a terrible fate.”_ **

****

**_“I suppose you’re right.”_ **

****

**_“But that brings us to another problem.” Sothis said narrowing her eyes. “You need to train that tail of yours. If Shamir didn’t show up at the right time, you would’ve been dead. It’s high time you stop ignoring that vital task.”_ **

****

**_“But I don’t even know where to start!” Byleth yelled crossing her arms._ **

****

**_“Such an impatient child…… it’s like training your biceps or your core. Your tail is just another muscle, and you need to exercise that muscle to get it stronger.”_ **

****

**_Sothis then clapped her hands together and gave a smile. “And when your body gets stronger, then our bond deepens, and then I have more power to assist you with Divine Pulses. It’s like a rolling snowball effect. You understand?”_ **

****

**_Byleth nodded, but then found the darkness closing in on her as Sothis leaned back again. “And like that, it appears you’ll be waking up soon. Be careful, and remember what I said.”_ **

****

* * *

Her vision was blurry at first as she tried adjusting to the light that was around her. She tried lifting her arm to cover her eye and give her vision relief, but hissed in pain as a sharp pain ran through her shoulder. Eventually though, her vision adjusted and Byleth saw her surroundings. She was in her bed at the inn. But unlike her state when talking to Sothis, she was in pain everywhere.

“You’re finally awake kid.”

She turned to her left to see Jeralt sitting on a chair next to her bed, with a very relieved smile. And did she detect some tears in his eyes?

But he just wiped his face and laughed quietly. “You gave me quite a scare when a messenger from this town came with the news of you and Shamir.”

Byleth tried talking but her throat was completely dry and all that came out was a weak cough. “Here, drink some water. It’ll help.”

He brought a glass of water over and got it to her mouth since she was incapable of doing so by herself right now. Or rather he didn’t want her putting unnecessary strain on herself. But she was grateful for the assistance and soon the glass was empty. He placed the empty glass on the table and sighed. “Now, what were you trying to say?”

“How……. are the students?”

Jeralt chuckled and shook his head. “They’re beside themselves with worry. They begged Lady Rhea to let them come with me. But I told them to stay put. After all, they had just gotten back from their own missions and I wanted to make sure you were okay. But hey, you seem a lot better than a few days ago which is very surprising.”

He helped Byleth into a sitting position as she groaned from her aching muscles and tried moving her shoulder, but to no avail. “You reckon?”

“When I got here, you were pale and shivering. Shamir in the other hand, still hasn’t woken up. How do you feel kid?”

“Aching, sore, my shoulder is in searing pain.” But then her face turned thoughtful as she looked down at her hands. “But I feel…… stronger. Like I came out of that battle a lot more powerful than before. Does that make sense?”

“That’s definitely from your mothers side.”

“……..Yeah. Hey dad, did mom ever tell you about her life?”

Jeralt stiffened at that question and rubbed his head. “Your mother told me a lot of things. Things that she didn’t want you to know just yet, until the time is right, you know?”

“Oh……. I see.” Byleth muttered looking down, clearly disappointed. But Jeralt then ruffled her hair gently, and he smiled.

“But I think I can let this one go, since you’ve experienced it. Your mom had some interesting biology, the tail being one of them. And another one being something called a Zenkai Boost.”

Byleth tilted her head at that name and he took that as a cue to continue. “Basically, when you’re at deaths door and you recover from that, you gain a boost in power. You felt it yourself right? Well, you experienced a Zenkai Boost.”

Then his eyes turned dark as he took something out of his belt and held it out to her. She instantly recognised it as the weapons that the Cultists used. “This is what hurt you?”

She gave a nod and he sighed tucking it away. “We will discuss this with Rhea and the other staff members once we get back. If this is something that actually injured you, then we’re dealing with something dangerous. But that’s only until both of you recover. I already sent a report covering the basics but we need you and Shamir to give more details.”

He then turned away and walked towards the door. “I know you hate being confined to one space, so feel free to move about only if you think you can do it. I’ll tell the doctor that you might want fresh air, okay kid?”

Byleth gave a small smile and nodded at him and Jeralt smiled back. “You did the right thing kid. You saved innocent lives. Now take it easy.”

With that parting sentence, he closed the door and left Byleth on her own again. She got a better look at herself now that she was sitting up. She had a sling on her right arm, where her shoulder was bandaged up. If she had to guess, then that was going to leave a nasty scar by the end of it. She then spotted a hand mirror on her nightstand and picked it up to examine herself.

Her hair surprisingly looked normal, but she guessed that was the work of the people taking care of her. She had a band aid on her left cheek and a cut just under her eye. Then she realised that she wasn’t in her normal outfit. Rather, it was a white nightdress that loosely fitted on her body. But it was very comfortable so that was a bonus.

Byleth then looked over to her right and saw a variety of gifts and cards next to the bed. If she had to guess, then that was her students trying to give support. She noticed three cards with very distinct symbols on the wax seals. An eagle, a lion and a deer. She should’ve known. “They really do care for me huh?”

She opened the one containing the eagle symbol and sure enough, it was a letter from Edelgard, along with Caspar and Petra.

_[Dear Professor Byleth,_

_I hope that your recovery is quick and easy. We are all wishing you well and to show our support, we sent some flowers for you. We hope that you like it. – Edelgard.]_

_[HEY PROFESSOR I HOPE THAT YOU KICKED BUTT! NOBODY MESSES WITH YOU, OR ELSE THEY ANSWER TO ME! – Caspar.]_

_[Greetings Professor. I am hoping you are getting well very quickly. I look forward to be seeing you. – Petra.]_

Byleth smiled to herself and looked over to the windowsill and saw a bouquet of carnations sitting there. It was a nice and thoughtful gift. She then opened the one with the lion symbol and started reading.

_[Hello Professor Byleth,_

_We were all deeply concerned when we heard about your condition. I hope that the cake that we sent had reached you. We have been keeping up with our training so do not worry about that little chestnut. – Dimitri.]_

_[Hello Professor,_

_I have been keeping up with my training. I expect a sparring session once you are recovered. – Felix.]_

_[Hi Professor!_

_I was so worried when I heard about you! I hope you like the cake, but it was mostly Mercie who made it. I kept on burning it and myself……. but I’ve stopped tripping over barrels, so that’s a good sign right? Anyway, I should stop rambling. Get well soon! Oh, and Miss Shamir too! – Annette.]_

“Felix is as blunt as always.” Byleth grimaced but smiled at Annettes side of the letter. There was also a cake on a table with a glass case covering it to keep any insects away…… with a slice missing. “Was that you dad?”

She shook her head and opened the last one, already knowing who it was from.

_[Sup Teach!_

_Didn’t think you of all people would be recovering, but hey, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected since I’ve met you. Their Highnesses have been distraught with worry when they heard the news, but I knew you’d pull through. We sent a bag of sweets over for you, hope you like it. Anyway, take it easy for now. We’ll be stronger for you coming back. – Claude.]_

_[Claude made me give up my secret sweet stash! But, they are amazing chocolate bon bons that I need to special order, so please appreciate them. But also, get well soon. – Lysithea.]_

_Hi Byleth,_

_I was surprised to find you were hospitalised. I guess we should prepare for anything if our foes are getting that strong. But please rest until you’ve recovered. You know how worried Captain Jeralt. I’ll take this time to catch up to you, so watch out! – Leonie.]_

Sure enough, there was a big bag of candy next to the cake. Though Byleth wondered if she should be afraid that Lysithea cared more about her sweets than people. That’s when Jeralt came back in and Byleth narrowed her eyes whilst looking at the cake. He just held up his arms in defence.

“Hey, you know I’m a sucker for cake and that looked too good to pass up. But I wanted to check up on you, you okay?”

“Actually……. I want to take a walk. I want to visit her.”

Jeralt sighed heavily and nodded going over to her side and helping her out of the bed. Byleth sucked in air through her teeth as her legs were telling her to stop. But she leaned on Jeralt for support and he slowly walked her to the door. “Just one step at a time kid.”

“……..Dad, there’s training I want to do.”

“Oh no, not while you’re still recovering.”

“I’m talking about my tail.”

She looked down while hobbling over to the door. “I almost died because one of those cultists got my tail. I never felt so helpless in my life. And I’m sick of hiding what I am, so please. Help me train my tail.”

“…….You promise to just train the tail?”

She nodded as they exited her room and Jeralt nodded. “Okay, but we do it one step at a time.”

“Miss Eisner, you should be in bed!”

The father-daughter pair turned to see a doctor rush up to them. Jeralt just waved his hand. “I’ll stay by her side, but she gets restless if she gets cooped up. She just wants to test her body.”

But the doctor just adjusted his glasses examining her. “Incredible. Already walking after just waking up. The Goddess must have blessed you! Very well, but you better not let her out of your sight!”

“Relax, she wants to visit Shamir.”

“O-Of course! Right this way!”

He then lead the pair over to the room across the hall and slowly opened the door. Byleth took a deep breath and requested to be alone with her. The doctor was about to protest but Jeralt quickly shut him up. “Go ahead kid, just shout when you’re ready to leave.”

Byleth nodded and slowly hobbled in the room and saw Shamir, still unconscious. And like Byleth, was pretty beat up.

She had a bandage over her head, which reminded Byleth of the numerous blows to the head that she took during her fight with the Goliath. On top of that, there was a huge burn on her left arm from where a fire spell managed to hit her. Other than that though, she seemed okay. Probably because Byleth kept turning back time in order to protect her.

Byleth grunted in pain as she managed to sit on a chair, and watched Shamirs sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, despite the condition that she was in. But it would not made Byleth sad, looking at her. All the times she saw her die. It would be enough to make her not sleep. “This was a disaster.”

Sothis appeared on the chair next to her and looked down. ‘ _We couldn’t have known._ ’

“We should’ve. No, I should’ve known…..”

‘ _You cannot know everything. That’s just part of life. Believe me I know. I mean I can barely remember my past, but I still manage to live on._ ’ Sothis explained as she adjusted her own sling as it snagged on her dress. Byleth just looked at Shamir, and then looked at the spirit next to her.

“Then let’s find out.”

“Wait, what?”

Byleth gave a smile and pumped a fist. “When we recover, let’s try and jog your memory. There’s got to be something that we could do to help. Besides, I have to repay the favour for you don’t I? We would be dead multiple times if it wasn’t for you.”

Sothis was honestly speechless. She honestly never expected an offer to actually find her memories. But her face gave way to a bright smile and she nodded. ‘ _Yes! Let’s do it! Perhaps we can look into the library back at the Monastery._ ’

With that goal set in mind, Byleth stood up and started hobbling out the door, which confused Sothis. _‘What are you doing?’_

“I gotta train my tail! Like you said, it’s a glaring weakness!”

‘ _…….Of course you do. I shouldn’t even be surprised._ ’

Once Byleth got out of the door, she looked at her gown and focused Ki onto her finger and cut a hole in the back. And with a little freedom, she allowed her tail to go through the hole. It honestly felt amazing to not keep it hidden. Now that she was going to train, she didn’t have to hide who she was.

“Wow, you look just like your mother now. You know, aside from the bandages and wounds.”

She turned around to see Jeralt standing there holding a light set of weights, and behind him was the doctor who was babbling to himself with a bewildered expression. “A tail! She has a tail!”

The pair just ignored him and Jeralt gestures to her room. “If you’re ready, let’s get started on some training.”

“Okay dad!”

The doctor watched them enter her room and just slumped on the floor. “I’m not getting paid enough for this.”

* * *

“It seems that project Goliath was a failure my Lord.”

Thales grinned sitting on his throne while sipping wine as he looked at Solon. “On the contrary. It was a remarkable success.”

This confused the elderly man as he was currently communicating with Thales through a stone meant to relay messages. “How so?”

“It’s simple. We have the calculations necessary on how much Ki to implant in hosts without sacrificing their mental health.”

Surprise was on Solons face as he gasped. Was it possible that it was time? “Does that mean?”

“Indeed. We can move onto the next phase. But first, we need to…… tie up loose ends. Specifically with Edelgard. We need to make sure she doesn’t get too cocky.”

“Yes! I’m sick of her attitude!” Solon growled. “She’s lucky we need each other-“

“I think that’ll change soon.” Thales responded sipping more wine. “But first, we wait. And plan. The Western Church and Lord Lonato are already doing the job for us to stir some chaos. We can use this to our advantage and get in the tomb under the Monastery. Your orders remain the same Solon. And I think we should……. ‘assist’ Lonato. You will hear more later.”

The elderly man bowed as he then cut off communication. Thales was now alone and sipped at more wine and looked at his researchers and scholars analysing a certain space pod. And it looked like they found some information. “Lord Thales! We found information about the Saiyans!”

“And what information is that?”

One of the Cultists took out his notes and started to speak. “When a Saiyan has his tail, and looks up at a full moon. They turn into something called an Oozaru?”

Thales slowly smirked and leaned forward. “Very interesting…….. and what is an Oozaru?”

“A giant ape like creature, according to this scripture.”

He hummed in thought while looking down. “So. The monster and that girl are connected after all……. fifteen years ago.”

“My Lord?”

But he wasn’t listening anymore and looked up at the sky. “A full moon you say? Yes, this gives me an idea……”

* * *

And 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So guess who saw the Assassins Creed: Valhalla trailer? Yeah, that was my main inspiration for Shamirs fight. Not much Ki techniques but she’s not properly trained just yet.
> 
> But yeah this marks the end of essentially the 1st mission. I think you all know what the next one will be, don’t you? There will be a couple of breathers in between but we will be fighting Lonato next.
> 
> I do know who I want the characters to get together with, but I don’t think I’ll go full on sex scene. Maybe allude to it you know? Or do it in a side story. Let me know what you think. Saiyan Byleth might get around a lot, you know? Definitely bisexual, I mean come on.
> 
> But yeah, Thales and TWSITD have plans, and it’s a bittersweet victory for the good guys since they’re very injured. But Byleth got a Zenkai Boost out of it.
> 
> Also, I tried to give a reason how Divine Pulse works in this story. Hope that is okay with you guys.
> 
> Also keep in mind these chapters were finished months ago and I’m only just now posting them on here. So there may be some dates info on the authors notes.
> 
> But yeah, review and favourite please.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 1: White Clouds

Rest and Planning

_“Sitri, come on. I said I was sorry.”_

_It had been a few days since that day and Sitri still hadn’t forgiven him. Nothing that he could do or say could help fix what he said. “Well, it was very hurtful. For gods sake, you send all these mixed signals and then say I’m your friend? I thought you liked me more than that….”_

_Jeralt scratched his head and let out a sigh. He didn’t know how to explain it to her. “Look I…… I’m not good with this kind of stuff, you know?”_

_“Well neither am I! This is frustrating for me too…..” Sitri mumbled hugging her legs. “I’ve never felt this way towards anyone before. But, I want to be with you Jeralt. You’re kind, you’re strong, you can actually keep up with me. I don’t know, I just have this connection. But now I know you don’t feel the same.”_

_She then stood up and smoothed out her dress. “I’ll just be in my quarters. Good day Jeralt Eisner.”_

_“Hold on.”_

_Sitri blinked in surprise and turned around to see Jeralt had also stood up and walked towards her. “Look. I was an idiot. But, I guess I’m more brawn over brains at the end of the day. I just…… I never knew how to feel about someone that I feel THAT towards. Does that make sense?”_

_“……Not really. But I guess I get it. I mean, I have all kinds of friends. Alois, Rhea, I even have Aelfric too. But I feel like, you are a friend I want to spend the rest of my life with.”_

_“Then let’s do it.”_

_A silence filled the air as a soft breeze blew past then and Sitri just blinked, thinking that she was hearing things. “What?”_

_“Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you as well. I might not be the best when it comes to love, but I do know that I want to be with you and hang out with you for the rest of my life. So, what do you say? Will you spend that life with me.”_

_Her green eyes were wide at that question and watched him as he outstretched his hand to her. But she knew what her answer was. She took his hand in her own and smiled. “Yes. I will spend that life.”_

_“We can take it as slow as you need to Sitri.” He said smiling down at her. “Marriage doesn’t need to come quickly, we have all the time in the world.”_

_“……..What’s marriage? Is that some kind of food?”_

_Well. That ruined the moment as Jeralt had a sweat drop form on his head. Just what were these Saiyans? “Sitri, marriage is when you-“_

_“Oh wow, Jeralt I’m just messing with you. I know what marriage is.” Sitri said giggling as Jeralt shook his head._

_This girl was certainly something else. No matter though, he was happy she at least said yes to his proposal. Even if it was pretty bad in his mind. She then beamed and had a determined look._

_“Then let’s go and train Jeralt. Since were going to be together forever we need you in shape! Come on let’s go!”_

_“W-Wait hold on a minute!”_

_Sitri took his other hand and lead him over to the training area but was unaware of Rhea spying on them from a distance. She honestly didn’t know how to feel about this. On the one hand, it was good that Sitri found happiness. And Jeralt was a nice partner to have._

_But now Rhea was nervous as she doesn’t want anything interfering with her mother coming back. Should she do something about it?_

_“Of course. Nothing will get in the way of your revival mother…..”_

_She’ll have to keep a close eye on those two._

* * *

“Are you sure you want me to do this Byleth?”

“Yes dad. I trust you. And I need to see if the training paid off.”

The father daughter pair were currently inside Byleths room in the inn that they were staying at. It had been a week since Byleth had woken up, and the recovery she made astonished the doctors. Save for her arm still in a sling, she was on her way to a full on recovery. And that Zenkai Boost that she had gotten after the battle only made Byleths body that much stronger. But right now, she spent the week training an important part of her body. Her tail.

Jeralt was nervous as she waved it around. He didn’t want to hurt Byleth by grabbing the tail and rendering her immobile. But she did specifically ask him to do it as she really only trusted him when it came to her tail. After all, he was the one who made sure it was clean when she was a kid. “Alright kid, I’m about to do it.”

She nodded and got on all fours on her bed and waited patiently, gripping into the silk sheets just in case. He took the brown furry appendage in his hand and slowly gave it a squeeze. No response. He squeezed it again and looked to see a reaction.

But Byleth just turned around and gave him a huge smile. Which was honestly a rarity in Byleth. Usually the only time she smiled like that was fighting or when she was near food. But here? This was a genuine one towards him. And it sent a fluttering in his chest. “Dad, it worked! I don’t feel like I’m paralysed!”

“That’s amazing kid. Looks like it worked.”

Then they heard the door open and in came Shamir. “Hey guys just thought that I should let you know-“

She stopped her sentence short when she noticed the two. Byleth on all fours on her bed with her father behind her holding her tail. She kept a neutral face and just slowly backed out of the doorway and closed it behind her. That’s when the two of them realised the situation that they were in and Jeralt quickly let go of her tail.

Byleth had a completely red face as she picked herself up. She looked to her dad and looked at the floor, acting very shy and out of character. “Should we go and explain?”

“I’ll do it kid. You go and get yourself dressed. I’ll help you get you if you are unable to what with your shoulder and all.” Jeralt offered, not very sure on how to explain this to the mercenary just outside the door.

“It’s fine, I’ve got this.”

They turned to the door as Shamir walked in again, with slightly red cheeks. She still had a bandage on her wrist and her head was still needing time to heal and so her forehead was wrapped tightly in bandages. But overall, she made a decent recovery to walk about. “I’m sorry. I should’ve knocked first. I was going to say you’re needed Professor Jeralt.”

“What for?”

“Lady Rhea has arrived.” Shamir replied. “Go on ahead. I’ll make sure Byleth is dressed. And I’m sure that she would feel a lot more comfortable with a fellow girl.”

Jeralt breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that Shamir offered instead, since he really didn’t feel like he should since he’s her father. Despite her not caring, it still made him feel weird. “Thank you. But I wonder why Rhea is here. I told her that we would come back at the end of the week to debrief.”

Shamir just shrugged grabbing Byleths clothes. “Maybe she just couldn’t wait that long. Probably best, considering what we were dealing with.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Alright, I’ll let her know you’re getting dressed kid. Got it?”

“Got it dad.”

With that, Jeralt left the room and closed the door behind him. Shamir turned to Byleth and folded her arms. “Need help out of that night gown?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, then yes.”

“Hey, we’re both girls here.” Shamir smiled. “No judging. Now come on, we don’t want to keep the Archbishop waiting now, do we?”

Byleth nodded at that and Shamir grabbed the end of her gown and lifted it up. The trouble came with Byleths shoulder as they had to feed the clothing through without hurting her too much. “Alright lets take this slowly, alright?”

Shamir got a nod of confirmation and Byleths face twisted in pain as it was still a little uncomfortable to use her shoulder. She was still in the sling but the doctor deduced that she wouldn’t need it by the end of the week. Now Byleth was in her bra and underwear as Shamir grabbed her shorts and stockings. That’s when she got a look at Byleths tail swaying around and laughed. “You know. Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, you go and surprise me yet again.”

“What do you mean?” Byleth asked as she caught her shorts and stockings that Shamir threw at her. The woman before her just shook her head and leaned against the wall.

“Let’s list off exactly what I have seen of you since you came to the Monastery. One, you come in and devour most of the food stock.”

Shamir watched as Byleth managed to pull up her shorts. She didn’t really need her help in that department, as it was her upper half that was the problem. Her tail popped through the hole that was at the back. “Two, you completely shrug off normal weaponry, aside from the fight we just had. Honestly, I punched you during our sparring session and it felt like I hit solid stone.”

Byleth listened to her list off examples while she got her stockings on, grunting uncomfortably as it wasn’t easy to do. “And let’s not forget you showing me an entirely new power and brand new ways of training.”

“Oh yeah. And one more thing.” Shamir smirked poking the appendage that was through Byleths shorts and ended up curling around her wrist which Shamir just gently pulled away. “I learn you have a tail. You’re one of a kind Byleth, I’ve never met anybody like you. And it looks like you trained it up too. So we won’t be expecting you to freeze up when someone grabs it?”

Byleth shook her head and picked up her top, now that her bottom half was all ready. “Nope, I’m all good. Oh, I’ll need your help with this one.”

“Oh right, sorry. I was just spacing out while talking there.” Shamir replied taking the top off of her partners hand and that’s when she realised a problem in front of her. Well. Two big problems.

The two were face to face and that meant Shamir got a good eyeful of Byleths chest. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she quickly turned her around. “It’ll be better if we do it this way.”

“Do my boobs bother you?”

“N-No.” Clearly Shamir wasn’t wanting to offend her partner. But it was better to try and clear the air rather than keep things awkward. “Just….. don’t want them in my face. There’s nothing wrong with them.”

“Oh, I see.” Byleth said as they continued working on getting her top on.

…

…

…

“Okay, I give up. Seriously, how the hell are they so big?” Shamir yelled stepping back as Byleth looked down at her chest with her top unbuttoned. Her cheeks were a little red when the subject changed to her features.

“I…… don’t think they’re that big.”

“Are you kidding me? I’d break my back if I had yours.” Shamir shook her head and sighed. “Sorry, I got distracted. Here, let me help you with your buttons.”

Shamir stepped forward and started buttoning the top and chuckled. “I know that’s the first thing that Catherine would notice. Well, that and if you’re friend or foe.”

Byleth just tilted her head at that name. “Who’s…… Catherine?”

“Oh that’s right, you haven’t met her yet.” Shamir said as Byleth was almost dressed. She was missing her wrist bracers and her coat. But she wouldn’t really need those until her shoulder was better. “It’s not too much on your injury?”

“No, no. It’s okay. Now who is Catherine?”

“Oh, right. My apologies. Catherine is a part of the Knights of Seiros, like myself and Alois.” Shamir started to explain. “She’s one of the more powerful knights. Well, until you came around and taught me how to use Ki.”

She pumped her fist but hissed in pain as her left arm was still not healed. But she laughed to herself after that. “Can’t wait to see the look on her face. Oh by the way, I should warn you about a few things when it comes to Catherine. First, she’s always sizing up everyone she meets. Two, she’s very devoted to the Church so you might want to keep your opinions to yourself on that subject.”

Byleth took all of this in and slowly nodded, draping her coat over her good shoulder. “Oh, and one more thing. She loves training, so hey, you two might actually get along.”

A knock sounded on the door and Jeralt slowly came into the room and….. was he blushing?

He cleared his throat and spoke up. “It appears you two are needed. Rhea is here.”

The two ladies looked at each other and gave a nod before walking out. But not before Jeralt stopped them. “One thing. These walls are very thin, and I really don’t want to hear about the size of my daughters…….. you know.”

That’s when they both froze and blushed after realising what he meant. Shamir closed her eyes and bowed in embarrassment. “I-I apologise, it was my fault.”

“It’s okay. Just wanted to warn you about that in the future. Now come on, let’s meet the Archbishop. The Mayor has allowed us to use his house as a place for us to hold our meeting.”

“Hold on one minute dad, I still need to put on my sling.”

Jeralt nodded and approached Byleth before kneeling in front of her. “Here, let me help you with that.”

Shamir watched the two and let out a small smile. Sometimes, she forgets that they’re actually related. That Jeralt is actually a father. She never would have imagined him raising Byleth. But she has heard about him through Catherine who actually went on a few missions with him as a knight. From the stories she heard, Jeralt was a beast in battle and completely vaporised opponents with his energy blasts.

‘ _Wait a minute._ ’ Shamir frowned and looked down at the floor in deep thought. ‘ _Does that mean that Catherine knows how to use Ki too? If that’s the case, why the hell didn’t she share? No, hold on Shamir. Stop drawing to conclusions. Just calmly ask her next time you meet._ ’

“Let’s go Shamir. How’s your arm and head?”

She blinked out of her thoughts and saw the pair ready. She then looked down at her own bandaged arm and shrugged while adjusting the ones on her forehead. “It’s surprising how fast it took to heal.”

“Well, that’s another benefit of Ki.” Jeralt explained as the trio made their way outside of the inn and out into the snow. “It allows your wounds to heal at a much faster rate. Now obviously, it’s not a magical cure all. You’re still susceptible to diseases and viruses.”

“I see.” Shamir said still looking down which Byleth noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just……. I’ve realised how much of an impact you two have made on my life in the short time you’ve been here. We went on this mission and yet it feels like we’ve been partners for ever.”

She then turned to Byleth and smiled. “I can definitely count on you. I’m glad to call you a friend.”

A……. friend?

“Well, look at that. My kid is making friends finally.” Jeralt said ruffling Byleths hair. “You know she was incapable of being social before we came here. Barely spoke to people, always looking for fights.”

He then let out a small chuckle remembering a specific night. “Although there was that time where she turned eighteen and got very drunk and then got with the barmaid-“

“Dad, we agreed to not talk about that.” Byleth said blushing hard and trying to get him to stop talking.

“But it was so cute. You said to her to run away with you and live happily ever-“

“Dad, I don’t need much motivation to throw you into a mountain.”

“Though you could’ve called it a night there.”

“Well I’m calling this conversation a night, now let’s go!” She yelled walking ahead trying to cool down the heat that was on her cheeks.

He then turned his attention to the archer next to him and smiled. “But in all seriousness, if you ever need help with Ki or anything else. Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s good that she found someone to bond with. Can’t always be hanging out with her old man.”

“I….. thank you Professor Jeralt.”

“Please. Just Jeralt. Oh hey look we’re here.”

The trio finally arrived at the house belonging to Mayor Shepherd. Byleth quickly knocked on the door and it didn’t take too long for it to open.

“Ah yes! It’s the saviours of my humble town! Please, please, come in. The Archbishop is waiting.”

Byleth gave a small smile and bowed to Mayor Shepherd before entering. Shamir followed suit and Jeralt was last. But he noticed Shepherd starting to leave his home and looked at him. “Why are you leaving?”

“This is official Church business, of which I cannot participate in.” Mayor Shepherd replied and smiled. “It’s no trouble, I’ll check up on my citizens while this is going on.”

Jeralt just watched him leave and close the door but decided to put it behind him and focus on the reason they came to this house. He slowly caught up to Byleth and Shamir before they m walked through to the living room and saw Rhea sitting there with a cup of tea, among other people from the church.

She smiled and placed her cup down on the table. “Greetings you two. I hope that you are recovering well.”

“We are Lady Rhea, thank you for your concern.” Shamir replied giving a bow. Rhea just kept her smile but Byleth felt her eyes on her. Seriously, what was the big deal?

“I’m glad. I would wait until you’ve fully healed but I figured that based on the report Jeralt sent me, this seems very important.”

She then gestured to the couch and tea set. “But please, make yourself comfortable first. Help yourself to tea.”

Jeralt took a seat of his own and offered the soft couch to the two mercenaries who gave a nod and sat down. Rhea wasn’t alone however. Byleth recognised Seteth and Flayn, the latter of whom seemed out of place but nonetheless happy. Also there was Alois who looked happy sitting next to Jeralt. But there was another woman there, a blonde woman wearing knights armour and had a sword next to her whilst holding a cup of tea. She then greeted Shamir.

“Hello Shamir. How long has it been?”

Shamir just smelled the aroma that came from the leaves and smiled. “I’d say quite a bit Catherine. So you’ve been busy I assume.”

Wait, THIS was Catherine? Now that Byleth thought about it, she did match the description that Shamir gave, especially the armour. But Catherine gave a smirk and sipped at her cup.

“Not as busy as you it seems. Last I heard, you were in a coma after getting into a fight with an unknown group.”

Byleth felt like she needed to be on guard at any moment. It was clear that Catherine didn’t trust her at all. Hell, she hadn’t even introduced herself to Byleth yet. She then turned to Jeralt and smiled. “And it’s always a pleasure to see you again, Captain.”

“Actually, it’s Professor now.”

“So I’ve heard. It’s a shame you’re no longer a knight but I guess this will keep you in one place.”

That’s when Catherine noticed Byleth staring and smiled again, this time it seemed more genuine. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m known as Thunderbrand Catherine. I’m one of the Knights of Seiros.”

“Yes, Shamir told me about you.” Byleth replied as Catherine looked to the archer with a wide grin.

“Awwww, I’m flattered Shamir! You’ve been talking about me?”

“Warning about you, actually.” Shamir replied with a soft smile.

“I apologise for interrupting the social gathering, but I believe it is time that we get down to business.” Seteth said placing his cup on the table and stood up. “Now, as Archbishop Rhea said, we got a basic report from Professor Jeralt about these events from interviews of the townsfolk. However, since he wasn’t present during this, we need testimonies and a deeper insight from you two, who carried out this mission.”

That’s when he sat back down and gestured to Byleth. “Miss Eisner, if you please.”

Byleth blinked are his words before realising what he had meant. So she did just that and stood up, suddenly feeling nervous, her tail curling around her waist more. She decided to hide it for now until she was in good company with her employers. But she heeded Seteth’s request and started explaining in detail what happened. Everyone listened intently and Flayn had a slate and was scribbling down notes based on what she was saying.

“So, Shamir and I split up and……”

Okay, now she was suddenly nervous. And she didn’t know why. All she had to do was reveal her tail, there’s nothing wrong with that. So why was she hesitating? Everyone in the room looked at each other and Rhea nodded.

“Carry on, my child. Take your time.”

“You can say it kid.” Jeralt smiled.

Byleth smiled lightly back at him and took a deep breath. “Then one of the Cultists grabbed my tail.”

…

…

…

“Your……. what?” Catherine said, very confused at that sentence. “Is that like a lingo-“ That’s when her jaw dropped seeing something brown and furry uncurl from around Byleth’s waist.

Flayn gasped loudly and ended up dropping the slate she was writing on and covered her mouth in shock. Seteth just had no words but to look at the appendage.

“Ah yes, I almost forgot about that.” Alois piped up scratching his head, still not used to that fact.

“Wait, you knew about this Alois?” Shamir asked pouring herself another cup.

“Well yes, she revealed it when we met her and the Captai- er, I mean Jeralt back in Remire Village.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Seteth muttered placing a hand on his chin. “Are there others like you?”

“No. Just her mother. Isn’t that right Jeralt?”

Everyone turned to Rhea who was holding her cup tightly to the point that it was in danger of breaking, with her eyes staring straight at the Blade Breaker. However, Jeralt didn’t relent and just stared right back and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right. Her mother had a tail. Though I got Byleth here to hide it since she used to lose all motor functions if someone grabbed it. But we trained it so that doesn’t happen anymore.”

Byleth suddenly felt like shrinking into a ball and moving away from this conversation. Perhaps she could use Divine Pulse and try again.

‘ _Don’t even think about it!_ ’ The voice Sothis screeched in her head. ‘ _That power is not a tool to get out of situations with people!_ ’

“With all due respect, Lady Rhea.” Shamir said placing down her tea. “I think we should focus on the elephant in the room. The reason why both your staff members are in bandages.”

“Yes, you’re right Shamir.” Rhea sighed as she let out a long breath. “I apologise for us straying off topic.”

Shamir then turned to Jeralt and nodded. “Do you still have it?”

“I do, haven’t let the thing out of my sight.”

He slowly stood up and took out the knife from his belt and placed it in the table. This caught the Church’s attention as they looked at it. Flayn was shaking slightly because she recognised the hexes on it. This was dark magic. “Brother, this is…..”

“Yes Flayn, I know what it is.” Seteth replied as he picked up the knife and examined it. “And how much of a problem was this upgraded knife Sir Jeralt?”

Jeralt grunted and pointed to Byleth who was looking down. “Before all of this, weapons never hurt Byleth.”

“It’s true.” Alois said also standing up. “She was hit in the head by an arrow once, and all that she got was a sore head. The arrow on the other head, was shattered.”

“This is definitely a cause for concern.” Catherine muttered. “If bandits could get access to weaponry like that, then it wouldn’t be safe for the students to go on missions anymore. If I had to guess, then if what you say about Byleth is true, then this knife would have no problem with armour.”

Rhea just stared at it with a glazed look. This wasn’t right. Why would they think to enchant weaponry now? What possible reason could they have to do that? She looked over at Byleth and sighed. “Then we all know what must be done. We will have to take extra precautions when on missions.”

She then turned her attention to the pair of mercenaries and clasped her hands. “I thank the Goddess that both of you were able to best those fiends-“

“We didn’t.”

Everyone looked at Byleth in shock as she stood up. “We didn’t ‘best’ them. We got insanely lucky. There were a number of times where we should’ve died.”

And in Byleth’s eyes it did happen. She still felt the lingering effects of her throat being crushed and the amount of times she watched Shamir die……

“She’s right.” Shamir added folding her arms. “We’ve been careless in these times of peace. We got soft, and we almost paid the price. If I didn’t know how to use that power. I would’ve been gone.”

She then looked to everyone around the room and then to Rhea. “Archbishop, I propose that we double the training on the Knights of Seiros. We can’t be allowed to be caught off guard like that again.”

“Even if we could, we can’t right now.” Catherine piped up. “We’re dealing with a rebellion against the Church. From Lord Lonato.”

“Who’s Lord Lonato?” Byleth asked placing a hand on her cheek in thought.

“Lord Lonato is a minor Lord of the Kingdom.” Rhea explained. “He has been showing hostility towards the Church for some time now.”

“A vanguard unit is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard.” Seteth continued for the Archbishop. “Lord Lonato’s army is nothing compared to the knights. It is quite possible that the rebellion is already suppressed.”

“Even so, I would like to make sure that the aftermath has been dealt with. That’s where I give you two the offer.” Rhea said motioning to Byleth and Shamir. “I’m already sending the Black Eagles down there at the end of the month to help with the aftermath. I’m giving you both the option to join them too. And I’m sure for you Byleth, your own students would be more than happy to assist.”

“I’ll also be down there, so you can count on me for support.” Catherine chimed in with a thumbs up.

Shamir sat back down and closed her eyes, and folded her arms. “I don’t know about you Byleth. But I think that it’s best we head down there with those that you are currently training. After what happened here, I don’t think it’s going to be as simple as dealing with an aftermath.”

“I agree.” Jeralt grunted. “And if they get their hands on those weapons, then that’s putting more lives in danger. We can’t be too sure.”

“There’s something else.”

Byleth looked around the room and she took in a breath. “The leader. He shoved this…… crystal inside one of the Cultists. He called it Project Goliath, and he turned into this huge bulked up human that could shrug off attacks. How do we know if they don’t have more of those things?”

“A crystal? Modifying a person? This is getting more confusing by the minute…..” Seteth closed his eyes and scratched his beard in thought.

“Then I believe it is decided.” Rhea declared, standing up. “Byleth, Shamir, Jeralt and the Black Eagles will come alongside the knights at the end of the month. Along with the students learning Ki. We cannot allow these sinners to harm more people.”

She then stood up and bowed to the two women. “Thank you for all your information. We shall leave you to recover now. When can we expect to see you back?”

“According to the doctor from the last I checked, they should be fully healed by the end of the week.”

That response shocked Seteth. “Hold on, your report detailed that Byleth had multiple wounds and an injured shoulder and Shamir had a head injury. That surely can’t be true.”

“It’s the Ki that heals, Seteth.” Shamir replied. “The stronger your body is, the faster the Ki can repair itself. In any case, I got off lucky compared to Byleth and even I’m shocked at how fast she has recovered.”

“Perhaps I can learn Ki brother?” Flayn said, beaming at Seteth who froze at that question and chuckled nervously.

“M-Maybe not Flayn. Perhaps we can take up sewing instead?”

A look of annoyance flashed over Flayn’s face before she breathed out and that look disappeared. But there was something that Byleth took note of. Flayn’s energy during that exchange fluctuated a lot. It wasn’t normal. Was she hiding power? Jeralt noticed it too but it quickly went away to a normal level. That was something that they had to keep an eye on.

The group all left the house and walked towards the carriage and horses to take them back to the Monastery. But Catherine stayed behind. “I’ll stay here until they have gotten better Rhea. You know me, I care about my fellow knights.”

“More like you just want to fight Byleth.” Shamir said folding her arms and earning a gasp from the blonde knight.

“You can’t prove that!”

Rhea just smiled and nodded. “Very well. Take all the time you need. I’ll see you soon.”

They all watched the remaining group leave and Catherine slowly slid up to Byleth with a creepy smile. “Sooooo. You a hot shot?”

“I’m……. sorry?” Byleth said very confused on what she said. Catherine pressed her chest against Byleth’s and grinned.

“Fight me! Right now!”

Both Jeralt and Shamir just sighed and shook their heads. Classic Catherine.

* * *

“This is a nice surprise Flame Emperor. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

In the Adrestian Empire, Thales was speaking to an individual in his Lord Arundel disguise. This was the Flame Emperor who didn’t look happy behind the mask. “There is no pleasure this time around. Why is this the first that I’m hearing of this Project Goliath?”

“I just didn’t think you were worthy of it is all.”

“Trust goes two ways! I deserve to know just as much information!”

“Careful. This isn’t like you.” Arundel smirked as the Flame Emperor just growled. “Very well. If you wish to know, then you need to earn it. Give me the Death Knight and the information will be yours.”

“You know I’m still thinking.”

“And I’m running out of patience.” Arundel said now sporting a deep glare. “You may find it fun to prance about in that ridiculous outfit, but I’m a busy man. Now I need to know if you are trustworthy if I’m going to reveal all to you. And the only way to gain that trust is to give a good asset to us.”

“……..I still need more time. You will have your answer by the end of next month, I give you my word.”

Arundel just walked over until they were face to face. “You are in no negotiation to barter. If you have heard of Project Goliath, then you know on how it sent two of Garreg Mach’s most powerful fighters into a coma. I know everything about that Byleth girl, and I know her weaknesses. So I ask you, ‘Flame Emperor’. Do you truly want to be on opposite sides, or do you wish to be with the victors?”

A silent pause stretched across the scenery before he then turned around and walked away. “Very well. End of the next month. But that’s it. If you don’t have an answer by then, then all bets are off.”

With that, he finally teleported away, leaving the Flame Emperor alone. But a sigh was all that was sounded before dark magic consumed the Flame Emperor revealing to be Edelgard. She growled a little and did breathing exercises in an effort to calm herself down. That’s when a figure appeared behind her. “Unsuccessful Lady Edelgard?”

“Unfortunately…..”

“There’s something on your mind?”

Edelgard hugged herself and looked down at the ground, before she spoke. “I’m afraid.”

“Afraid, Lady Edelgard?”

“Yes. I don’t know how, but they are hiding things. Powerful things. I mean you heard about Professor Byleth, even she couldn’t beat this Goliath being.”

“There’s more on your mind, isn’t there?” Hubert asked looking down at her.

“I’m afraid that if we let them continue with this. Then our plans might fall apart before they even begin. There may not be a Fòdlan to unite.”

“I propose that we give them what they want.”

“Hubert, you know what they will do to him.”

Edelgard then held her wrists and slowly traced small circles around it with her palm. “Just like what they did to me…….”

“You wish to know about them, do you not? This could be valuable information.”

“You’re right.” Edelgard muttered with her hand on her chin. “But still. I don’t like this. Not knowing what they are planning, and what their next move will be. I thought that I was stronger after training but…… now I see that I’ve still a long way to go.”

She then looked up into the sky and narrowed her eyes. “That’s it. I need to train more. Also, I have a plan for you Hubert.”

“And what will that be Lady Edelgard?”

“I’ll tell you later on, when the time is right. But for now let’s return to Garreg Mach.”

* * *

WHACK!

“Ugh!”

BOOM!

“Hey quit it! No Ki blasts, that’s cheating!”

WHAM!

Catherine fell face first into the snow and groaned loudly, with Byleth standing over her sporting a big smile. “You were right Catherine. This DID make me feel better!”

It had been a few days since the meeting with Rhea, and Byleth got to pass the time with a new training partner. Catherine was certainly no pushover, but thanks to that boost, Byleth was much stronger.

“That was a lucky shot. I let you do that!” Catherine muttered into the ground and quickly picked herself and shook the snow out of her hair. She then gave a big grin to Byleth.

“Wow, you’re something else! I’ve never fought someone like you before. You’re able to kick me to the ground even with an arm in a sling!”

“You just said you gave her that win!” Shamir yelled from the sidelines.

“Quit living in the past, Shamir!” Catherine yelled back and leaned on her sword. “Still, you interest me a lot. What say we do this more often?”

“You…… don’t want to learn Ki?” Byleth asked placing a hand on her cheek as Catherine smiled and shook her head.

“Like I told Jeralt way back when, I don’t need that fancy Ki stuff. I’m just as capable with Thunderbrand.”

Byleth looked at her sword and hummed taking in the details of it. “Is that the name of your sword?”

“Oh you don’t know? Yeah, it’s one of the Heroes Relics.” Catherine replied. “A long, long time ago, the Goddess bestowed weapons upon 10 heroes, which were passed down in their descendants. It’s an honour to wield.”

“Hmmmm, I don’t know about that. “Byleth said folding her arms. “Wouldn’t it be better to just punch them in the face?”

“Hahaha! I like you!” Catherine laughed, slapping her on the back. “But in all seriousness, this helps me in combat. Enemies wet their pants at the sight of Thunderbrand.”

“Well, if you’re done stroking your ego Catherine, I would like a moment alone with my daughter.”

That’s when Catherine froze up at the sight of Jeralt and quickly bowed. “Yes sir! I’ll leave you two alone sir! I’ll be over here sir!”

Both just watched her run off to a very amused Shamir as Jeralt placed a hand on his head. “She’s a powerful knight, but she’s a little overconfident for my tastes. Mind if I take a look at your shoulder kid?”

Byleth nodded and shifted her top to expose the skin and Jeralt cringed a little at the damage. A gruesome looking mark on her shoulder with tightly stitched skin, all with a purple bruise around it. But it was much better than when she went into recovery. “Well, it’s healed pretty good, but it’s gonna leave a nasty scar.”

“That’s okay dad, another one to add to the collection huh?” Byleth said, trying to crack a joke but just got met with a blank look from her father. That’s when she rolled her shoulder to make sure it didn’t lock up. “Could we just…… go back to the Monastery? I’m feeling fine now and at this point, I’ve taken worse.”

“That’s actually what I came to tell you, I went to the doctor and he pretty much cleared you both. As far as he knows, you’ll just need rest. And it looks like Shamir hasn’t suffered brain damage.”

Byleth knew her father though, and knew that he didn’t want to speak to her alone just for that. He noticed her look and sighed. “Yeah, there’s more I want to discuss. Have you thought about taking in more students to learn?”

“Not really. I usually do it if they ask me, but I’ve never gone out of my way. Is this about Flayn?”

Jeralt nodded. “Her energy was all over the place during that meeting. Like when she was annoyed and such. I fear that there’s more to that girl than meets the eye. Perhaps we should train her.”

“Well, it’s her choice if she wants to do it. We can’t force her into it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But I’m glad that we’re on the same page kid. Just keep an eye on her. But let’s get packing. I’m sure you’re eager to see your students again.”

“Right!”

* * *

“You really didn’t take much did you?” Catherine said leaning on the horse and wagon that would be taking them back.

“It was a short stay. We didn’t need much.” Shamir replied now sporting a rucksack filled with goods along with her bow.

The group were at the exit now getting ready to leave the town. Mayor Shepherd was with them as he took Byleth’s good hand in his own. “I thank you both for your time. You saved us all! Know that this fine town is in your debt. If you ever need a place to stay, know that you are welcome here anytime.”

Byleth and Shamir had red cheeks, clearly not used to flattery as Jeralt walked up to Mayor Shepherd with a bag full of coins. “This is for the food bill. I appreciate your hospitality but if I don’t give you money, then my daughter will have essentially ruined your supply chain.”

Mayor Shepherd gulped nervously and with shaky hands, happily took the bag of money. “T-Thank you. I-I bid you safe travels.”

“Hey, are you three getting in this or what?” Catherine yelled now on her horse. But the three of them just smirked at each other and slowly floated into the air. Catherine’s jaw dropped as she instantly recognised what they were doing. “Hey come on! That’s not fair! I can’t fly, what am I supposed to do?”

“Hey, you wield Thunderbrand. You figure it out.” Shamir said before flying away to the Monastery with Byleth and Jeralt not far behind.

“ALL OF MY HATE!” Catherine screamed to the sky before riding her horse to her destination. Mayor Shepherd just looked to the sky and had a soft smile.

“What a strange group.”

* * *

“You think Catherine will be a little mad?” Shamir asked as they kept a steady course.

“It was your idea.” Byleth said, making sure that her sling was still in place while in the air.

“I can’t believe it. I’m actually flying! Without a pegasus! This is unreal!” Shamir said laughing at the freedom of flying on her own. “Incredible!”

“Don’t overdo it Shamir.” Jeralt warned. “Byleth told me that you’re still new to it despite your training.”

“Don’t worry, I think I have enough to make the trip.” Shamir replied as she loved the feeling of the wind in her hair. But she vastly underestimated the time that it would take. “Oh look! We’re here already? That took like half of the time!”

It seemed that they had attracted a crowd of students who were staring in awe at the trio flying. “Are they flying?!”

“Incredible…”

The three slowly floated down onto the ground and from the crowd came out Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude. “Okay, so when were we going to learn about that?”

“Later.” Byleth replied as the students from the other houses came out too with the other crowd dispersing. It seemed that all of them were worried about her and Shamir.

She took her coat off of her shoulder and carried it under her arm. That’s when a loud gasp sounded as Lysithea pointed a shaky finger at Byleth. Or rather, her tail. And that sent the students into a freaked out frenzy. But not the house leaders, or Leonie for that matter.

“I…… completely forgot about that.” Edelgard said.

“Indeed. It was such a shock when I first saw it.” Dimitri agreed, scratching his head.

“So Teach, you actually not hiding it anymore?” Claude asked before being grabbed by Lysithea.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY?!”

Claude just shrugged and looked at Byleth. “Wasn’t my place to say.”

Linhardt just walked closer to her and narrowed his eyes at the tail. “Fascinating…… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a species of humans with animal like features.”

“Alright everyone, break it up.” Jeralt said. “Honestly, we have flying horses and able to shoot fire from our palms. A girl with a tail isn’t that big of a deal.”

Byleth smiled gratefully at her father as the students backed away. But then a thought ran through her mind as she addressed a certain group. “Have you all been keeping up with your training?”

Edelgard beamed and nodded quickly. “Indeed we have, my teacher! I personally made sure of it.”

“I’ll have you know we shared the workload.” Dimitri said, narrowing his eyes.

“Jeez, you two fight like you’re brother and sister or something.” Claude smiled while adding in a wink for good measure. That made both Dimitri and Edelgard freeze and narrow their eyes at him. Claude looked around and placed a hand on his chest.

“What? It was simply an honest observation.”

“You……” Edelgard growled. Whilst Dimitri cleared his throat.

“Very funny Claude, but let’s keep the jokes to a minimum. Anyway Professor Byleth. You would be happy to know that we dispatched those bandits that had attacked us.”

“Really? Do tell.” Byleth said walking away with the house leaders and left everyone on their own.

“Well, that’s just rude! Didn’t even say hi!” Lysithea yelled crossing her arms.

“Well, you saw her arm on a sling. Maybe she just needs some time to unwind.” Annette said and frowned. “After all, from what we heard about her injuries, she must’ve gone through so much.”

“We need to train more.”

Everyone looked to Leonie who had a dark look on her face. “I know Professor Byleth and Professor Jeralt. They came to my village at one point and taught me how to fight. And there was one detail that stuck out to me. No matter what, she always came out on top. No injuries at all.”

She then looked to everyone present and spoke again. “Do you understand what I am saying? If there are people out there that can put Professor Byleth in that critical of a condition, imagine what would happen to us.”

Felix looked down and clenched his fist. “We would be like lambs to the slaughter.”

“Then we must be trying the hardest.” Petra said pumping her fist. “We will do the protecting of our Professor, won’t we?”

“I suppose we will be put to the test at the end of the month. With whatever this mission is.” Caspar hummed while scratching his head. That’s when he noticed Jeralt was there and perked up. “Oh yeah! Can you tell us what it is now?”

But Jeralt wasn’t happy. Which is what Dorothea noticed and had a nervous look on her face. “Professor?”

He sighed heavily and decided to cut to the chase. “Lord Lonato started a rebellion against the Church. We are going there to assist with the aftermath.”

Everyone had widened eyes, unable to believe that such a thing could happen. Specifically those who were in the Blue Lions. Jeralt then turned to the other students. “Those who are learning Ki from Byleth, you’re coming too. After what happened to her and Shamir, I’m not taking any chances.”

“This is wrong!”

A voice shouted from the back. And it was Ashe who looked angry. And hurt. “Lord Lonato would never do such a thing! There has to be a reason!”

But then his eyes widened as he then remembered. “Christophe…… but why now? Why didn’t he tell me?”

That’s when he looked back at Jeralt with a look of anguish. “I want to request to join you for this mission!”

“Kid, it’ll be too dangerous-“

“I DON’T CARE!”

Ingrid tried to calm down Ashe, but he was having none of it. “Lonato is a kind soul! He took me in as one of his own when I had nothing to my name! I want to know why would he take it this far! Please Professor Jeralt, even if just to talk to him.”

Jeralt let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead. “……Do you promise to do as you’re told?”

“Of course!”

“Then. You can come.”

Ashe relaxed a little but it did nothing to calm him down as he bowed. “Thank you. Now….. if you’ll excuse me.”

Everybody watched him run away and Hilda had a sad look in her eyes. “Poor guy.”

“There’s no time to lose.” Jeralt said having everyone turn his attention back to him. “Those who are not learning Ki, buzz off. Shamir, get over here.”

After everyone did as they were told, Jeralt addressed those who remained. “When Byleth and Shamir recover, we will be doubling your training. As well as doing mental training. We’re not taking anymore chances and being careless. Do I make myself clear?”

Everyone nodded as Annette raised her hand. “Was it…… that bad Professor Jeralt?”

“It was.” Shamir said as everyone looked at her. “We almost died. That’s why we need to be ready for anything.”

The grim reality hit the students like a ton of bricks. Their own instructors almost got killed. So what could they do?

Jeralt sensed this question and grunted. “What we lack in power, we make up for in numbers. So, get ready. Because the training program will be more tougher than ever. You’re dismissed.”

Everyone turned away and slowly went back to their respective dorms as Jeralt sighed. Shamir noticed this foul mood and asked him what was wrong.

“I think we’re on the midst of war.”

Shamir’s eyes widened at that statement as Jeralt continued. “Those people are hiding powerful knowledge. The knights have gotten too soft during my absence, and I’m worried that they’ll hit us when we least expect it. I’m going to go talk to Byleth, try and get some rest.”

She nodded and watched as Jeralt walked away. That’s when Catherine appeared next to her with a very annoyed look and sweat on her forehead. “Dick move Shamir.”

Shamir just smirked at her fellow knight. “What took you so long? It’s been a while.”

* * *

“……and then Annette tripped over her feet and knocked over the leader! It was quite humorous.” Dimitri laughed while the three house leaders shared a table with their Professor, who was currently chowing down on food.

“The Red Canyon…… did you notice something about it Dimitri?” Edelgard inquired.

“You mean about the ruins? Of course I did, very curious to say the least.” Dimitri replied.

“Yes. For they do not match any architectural style of any era or culture within the Empire. Or all of Fódlan for that matter. That can only mean one thing.”

Dimitri nodded as he sipped at coffee. “That it came along before the Empire, Kingdom and Alliance.”

“Precisely!” Edelgard said now being excited that he understood and turned her full attention to him. “It must have flourished and fallen in the distant past, long before even the Empire was established!”

Claude smirked at the pair conversing and put his hands behind his head. “It’s a nice breath of fresh air seeing you two get along. But if I may interject, then who do you suppose lived there? Perhaps a culture that has long passed away?”

Edelgard gave a rare laugh, and smiled. “It’s possible that they weren’t even human. Perhaps their remnants still influence the world around us.”

“Would explain the Professor huh?” Claude joked whilst looking at Byleth who had her bowl of rice.

She just swallowed and smiled while looking at them. “Don’t mind me. I’m just happy that the three of you are finally getting along.”

All three froze at that and had red cheeks, clearly not realising that they did in fact like each other’s company more. Dimitri cleared his throat. “I suppose we are.”

“Oh, that reminds me. I need all three of you for the mission at the end of the month. Professor Jeralt will disclose the details for you. But may I ask how your training is coming along?”

Edelgard smiled brightly and placed a hand on her chest. “I chose to specialise in using my Ki to power up the swings of my axe. I aim to practice weapon formation next.”

“I have gotten better at forming spears.” Dimitri replied. “They last much longer and I can even produce multiple for a short time.”

“And I have taken up trying to form arrows for my bow.” Claude said with a wide smile. “But that reminds me, what else are you hiding from us?”

That question brought up the very technique they saw her do earlier.

“Indeed, the ability to fly is a very efficient method and I am confused on why you haven’t taught us that yet.” Dimitri pondered with a hand on his chin.

“Perhaps it is an advanced technique and we aren’t ready yet?” Edelgard suggested.

“Precisely.” Byleth nodded. “I haven’t fully mastered it myself, so it’s a little difficult but I suppose that you are right and I shouldn’t hide it from you. Perhaps we can do the basics next week once my arm is fully healed.”

They didn’t even notice the sling and grew concerned. But she waved her hand. “I’m fine. And I’m stronger than ever. It’s part of my biology actually.”

“Your…… biology?”

Byleth nodded as she dug into something chicken. “Yes, when I get beaten up so badly and recover. I get a boost of power.”

“That feels…… incredibly unfair.” Edelgard muttered, feeling very self conscious about her own power.

“Are we still sure Teach isn’t one of those ruins people?” Claude whispered.

Before Dimitri could respond, Felix came in and spoke. “You three. We’re training. Let’s go.”

“Oh, right away Felix. I apologise Professor, but we must run.” Dimitri apologised as the three stood up and followed Felix out leaving Byleth by herself and eating.

‘ _The Red Canyon……. why does that sound so familiar?_ ’ Sothis said inside Byleth’s head.

“Did that ring any bells?”

‘ _I’m not too sure. But that name stirred something inside of me….._ ’

Byleth gave a small smile and popped a piece of chicken in her mouth and spoke while eating. “Well, that’s our first clue. What say we investigate?”

Sothis didn’t like how she talked with her mouth full, but couldn’t deny that request. ‘ _That sounds wonderful! When should we do it?_ ’

“Tonight of course!”

‘ _……..Wait, what?_ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s another chapter. So we’re straying back into canon with the Sothis Paralogue. And it seems that they’re coming to Lonato prepared this time around.
> 
> I also want to build up Edelgard and Dimitri’s relationship. They did spend time as kids and the fact that they train together means that they grow closer.
> 
> Remember when I said Shamir will kinda be the Piccolo of this story? Well, I’m seeing Edelgard as the Vegeta of this story. At least in terms of ambitions.
> 
> So I’m still torn on whether to change this to M. I do want to try my hand at sex scenes, but I’m thinking I just allude to those and maybe do the sex scene in a separate story. Please let me know what you think, as I know some people prefer to skip that stuff. And hey, a Saiyan having sex might be interesting. But let me know your thoughts, even in PM.
> 
> So the Ki squad are going to assist the Lonato mission alongside the Black Eagles, and Ashe is coming too. Remember, we’re still taking in new pupils. Could Ashe full in the missing spot?
> 
> Also to address concerns. Obviously Super Saiyan God wont be a thing any time soon. Byleth will get power, but it won’t come to God Ki unless I do a Dragonball Super kind of story where it takes place after the game.
> 
> Also no, Catherine won’t be learning Ki. At least not anytime soon. Shamir will be the only staff member on the Ki squad alongside Jeralt and Byleth.
> 
> But please let me know your thoughts folks.


	10. Chapter 10

Part 1: White Clouds

Tales of the Red Canyon

_Jeralt let out a breath that he was holding as he and Sitri stared each other down, with her on a cliff a little higher than his own. They were currently in a place known as the Red Canyon, and the sheer vastness of it meant that it was the perfect place for a sparring session, as suggested by the Saiyan woman. The breeze slowly blew past them, picking up dust as Jeralt stared down the woman that he was courting._

_She was still in that same condition as before, so she couldn't fight for long, but her Saiyan blood always said that a good fight always put her in high spirits. She even changed out of her regular outfit that she always had on and into the armour that she wore on that fateful day that they met. One thing was for certain, and that was that Sitri was looking for a good fight to scratch an itch, and Jeralt would try to give her just that._

" _You ready?" Sitri yelled from her side, which was a very far distance. "We're going to take it slow, just to give you a chance, okay?!"_

" _You don't have to go easy on me Sitri! I'm not fragile!" Jeralt yelled back in annoyance. But Sitri just smirked and folded her arms while shaking her head._

" _Oh I think I do! I've been holding back a lot as is, as I think that you are well aware! I may have gotten weaker but I can still destroy you all! Now, come at me!"_

" _Oh I will!"_

_Jeralt grunted and clenched his fists together and started powering up with a yell. His aura flared around him with his power rising higher and higher. Sitri had her scouter on and smiled seeing the numbers creep up so high. Nowhere near her own level for sure, but it was still impressive even for a human. The ground beneath Jeralts feet had started to crack and some stones around him were levitating from the might of the power outage. His eyes then hardened and he set his sights on Sitri. He was now ready to fight._

_He launched himself off of the ground and screamed while charging towards his target, which was Sitri. She just laughed and launched herself towards him with the two meeting in the middle of the air with their hands entwined in an attempt to gain the upper hand. But unfortunately for the Blade Breaker, he wasn't getting said chance once he realised he was trapped.. Jeralt tried to break free from her grip but Sitri was not letting go whatsoever as she had him right where she wanted._

" _Pick up the pace Eisner! You're not doing so hot!" She yelled before slamming her head into his own, with the recoil of it sending him flying back. A ball of Ki formed on her fingertips before she sent it sailing towards Jeralt who managed to recover and held out his hands in front of him and caught the ball of Ki and threw it in the air before it then exploded causing a massive shockwave._

_He panted and blew out a breath that he didn't realised he was holding in. That was way too close for comfort. Now to focus on Sitri-_

" _On your left!"_

_That's when a boot collided with his side and sent him flying once again. Sitri used that distraction to leave him wide open for an attack. She grinned and flew after him and sped past him just before he hit the ground. She then kneed him on the stomach and sent him flying up into the sky again before gathering energy in her right hand. It was a little technique that Bardock had taught her. It formed into a blue ball that she then aimed up at Jeralt._

" _RIOT JAVELIN!" Sitri screamed as she threw it at Jeralt who managed to recover in time. But he saw the energy flying towards him and had to quickly think of a plan or else be toast. That's when he knew what he had to do. Show off what he had been working on. He thrusted his hands forward and started charging Ki onto his palms. A green energy formed into a ball growing bigger and bigger as sweat trickled down his forehead, as it took a lot out of him. He then pushed it forward and yelled out the technique._

" _ASHEN BOMB!"_

_The green ball of energy shot towards the Riot Javelin as the two energy attacks went sailing towards each other, ready for impact. They then smashed together and started to struggle against one another. Both Sitri and Jeralt gritted their teeth as they kept their hands outstretched trying to keep their energy balls stable. But it was very clear who was the stronger one, and it was the Riot Javelin._

_Jeralt growled loudly and strained, trying to keep his attack from dispersing and letting her win. But to no avail as the Riot Javelin broke through the Ashen Bomb and was heading towards him. Luckily, he anticipated this and dodged to the right and watched it sail up into the sky before dispersing in the air. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly dropped down to the canyon ground. "That was nuts."_

" _Hey, you managed to keep up though." Sitri smiled, looking a little tired out and panted, trying not to have another coughing fit. But she gave a thumbs up. "Honestly, you did a lot better than you thought. But I think we've both earned a break."_

_She then took her partners hands and lead him over to a spot overlooking the canyon where a picnic basket lay behind some rocks. "The maids at the Monastery were kind enough to put together a little feast for us. Care to join me my dear?"_

" _Only if I get a kiss in return." Jeralt smiled pulling her close so her head was against his chest, really showing the height difference between the two. But Sitri smiled and got on her toes, catching his lips on her own as the two shared an intimate moment together._

_It had been over two months since the two had decided to court each other. Though it wasn't that different to what they were like before getting together, it wasn't something that they would change for anything. It was only now that they were able to get some time alone, due to Jeralts position with the knights._

_Once they separated from the kiss, the two set up the picnic blanket and food and just dug straight into it. Or rather, Jeralt watched Sitri take out a big ham out of the basket and start to gnaw on it. It honestly fascinated him how much food she could pack away into her stomach. He wondered if she could do the same with beer and wine. There wasn't anyone who could out drink him in Fódlan, but perhaps this was a worthy opponent. As well as a battle he could actually win._

_But then he noticed that Sitri had stopped eating for now and instead, stared off into the canyon with a soft look in her eyes. "You know, it's strange. I feel a sense of nostalgia when looking over this place."_

" _Oh? Have you ever been here before?" Jeralt asked but Sitri just shook her head in response._

" _Never. But I feel like I remember fond memories here. It's strange. It's pretty much why I chose this place for our sparring session." She said, ripping off a chunk of meat with her teeth and munching on it._

" _Yeah, the Red Canyon. Lot of mystery shrouding this place." Jeralt responded, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "And it's the kind of mysteries that would just give me a sore head trying to figure out. That stuff's better suited for Lady Rhea."_

" _Speaking of her, it's strange how your kind devote all your problems to a being that doesn't exist."_

" _Well, that's the church for you." Jeralt grunted biting into some bread. "I'm not much of a believer myself, but hey. Whatever it takes to help people get out of bed in the morning. What about you? Didn't you have a religion back on Planet Vegeta?"_

_Sitri just scoffed and tossed the bone of her ham away as it rattled off the ground and rolled away. "Not really. That is, if you don't count our Lord Frieza. But other than that, we just had the Legend of the Super Saiyan."_

_Now this was something entirely new. Sitri had never mentioned anything like this at all in any of their talks with her planet. As if sensing his thoughts, she decided to explain to him. "Every one thousand years, a Saiyan who has extraordinary power comes around. The sheer power they would possess is so vast, that it could only be sustained through a transformed state. But like I said, it's just a legend."_

" _Huh. So would you be able to transform into one?" Jeralt asked, but only got a loud laugh in response from Sitri._

" _Are you kidding me? I could never be a Super Saiyan. You need an insane amount of power inside you, which I do not have. There were thousand of Saiyans more powerful than me."_

" _Maybe if you had a kid, then they would be one."_

_That's when Jeralt realised what he had just said and his cheeks heated up rapidly, and tried to explain himself. "T-That is not to say that you should have children, I am just saying that in the possibility that you DO have one it would-"_

_Sitri just laughed to herself and smirked at him. "Only two months of dating and you're already thinking about kids? My, you're a bold one."_

" _No, no, no. I didn't mean to say that. I meant that-"_

" _Let's do it then."_

… _.Jeralts mind froze as he tried to process what she had just said. But she still had that smirk on her face. And slowly crawled towards him as her tail started swaying from side to side. "Let's make our own little Super Saiyan~"_

" _H-Here? T-This isn't exactly romantic so to say, and not really privacy-" Jeralt gulped and got sweaty as Sitri straddled his waist. She huffed at his response and smiled, shaking her head._

" _Let me say it in a way you'd understand." She then leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Fuck me until I can't walk~"_

_Jeralt was silent at that statement and narrowed his eyes. He had to get his game face on. 'Well, we are. In for another battle.'_

* * *

_The only sounds in the Red Canyon right now were a set of moans coming from a pair of lovers."Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Harder! Harder!"_

" _Almost! Almost! Ah! Ah! Fuck! It's coming!"_

_That's when they both screamed loudly and raised a hand each each. "RIOT JAVELIN/ASHEN BOMB!" And two blasts went soaring skywards before exploding._

_Jeralt rolled off of Sitri as she breathed out heavily, smiling. "Wow. I guess you win on that front don't you?"_

_He just chuckled and watched as she snuggled up to him, being covered by a fur blanket. "Gotta give me a win at some point, right?"_

" _Yeah. You win big guy." She said, giggling and kissed his chest. "Just as long as you're good to go again in five minutes."_

"… _.A-Again?"_

" _Mhm~"_

"… _Goddess help me."_

* * *

"I'm just saying, there's no harm in letting the Princess sleep for the night." Claude said with a smirk. He and Dimitri were currently out to do some additional training and were on their way to collect Edelgard so she can join. Dimitri just narrowed his eyes at Claude for that suggestion.

"You know, that's very impolite to do. She wouldn't be too happy with being left behind."

"Hey, it was just a suggestion." Claude chuckled while putting his hands up. But that's when the two heard a noise.

"Uhh…. Agh… Fath… Save…"

"What was that?" Dimitri wondered, looking around. "You heard that, didn't you Claude?"

"Was it a ghost perhaps?" Claude replied with his hands behind his head, which got him a glare from Dimitri in return.

"Be serious. It sounded like it came from Edelgard's room. Perhaps we should check to see if she is okay."

Claude nodded and proceeded to knock on her door as the two listened in. "No… Agh… Huh?! Who's there?!"

"It's only us Princess!" Claude shouted out. "You okay in there?!"

"Claude? Dimitri? Oh, hold on."

The two boys looked at each other and heard shuffling and grunts coming from Edelgard, until finally the door opened to reveal Edelgard in her training outfit, adjusting her hair. "Right, I…. forgot about our little arrangement. I apologise."

"Are you okay Edelgard?" Dimitri asked, with concern on his face. "We heard noises in your room."

"Oh? Perhaps I was talking in my sleep….."

"Nightmares?" Claude inquired, now realising how visibly shaken she looked. She just sighed in response.

"Yes. It was a nightmare. I've had them since I was a child. Stupid, pointless dreams I can't control… it's terribly frustrating."

"What are they about? You can trust us you know." Dimitri said, walking over to her.

Edelgard almost laughed at that notion. Trust. That was not something that she could easily give, what with everything she had been through. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised how open she was with Dimitri and Claude nowadays. She was starting to laugh alongside Claude's jokes, she got excited when Dimitri shared a common interest. Would they be this close if Byleth never taught them Ki?

She then gave a small smile and nodded. "I suppose you're right. We've been training partners for quite a while now, and I believe that I can trust you both with this. But you must promise not to tell a soul."

"I promise." Dimitri said.

"Yeah, I like finding out secrets, not telling them." Claude smiled.

"I appreciate it you two." Edelgard replied, before taking in a deep breath and then exhaling." I dream of… my older brother, paralysed, helpless… my older sister crying for help that never came… the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light."

She took another deep breath and exhaled once more, before looking at the boys. Both of them had looks of shock, disbelief, sympathy. Even Claude had no more playfulness in his eyes as he realised the situation. Edelgard then continued.

"I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. I know, it's such a large family and yet I was the heir to the throne of the Empire. Do you two know why? Because every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died."

She then looked down and started tracing small circles on her wrists again. "I was the only one left who could inherit the throne."

"Edelgard, I-" Claude started to say but then found that no words came out. What exactly could he say to that?

Edelgard just shook her head and continued. "Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept on getting darker. In the end, I was the only one that survived. The nightmares are a reminder… to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again. Even now I'm the only one who can carry the weight of the Empire. The future of the Empire… of everything… depends on me."

She then looked up to see the two boys, faces just dropped in shock. And Edelgard felt a wet sensation on her cheek and realised that she was crying. She just quickly wiped it away and let out a small laugh. "It seems that I shared more than I intended to. I suppose there is something in the air tonight."

"I'm sorry."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she realised it was Dimitri who said that. His head was bowed down as he whispered. "It appears that you and I are not so different. I forgot about that awful disease that plagued your siblings."

"Yes… disease…"

"Jeez, now I feel bad about teasing you." Claude said, scratching his head. "You sure had me fooled though, would never have guessed that you had demons hiding under that stone face."

"I don't….. share my past with people that often." Edelgard mumbled, rubbing her arm and looking away.

"But it's good that you did." Dimitri said walking towards her. "I know that wasn't easy for you to tell us. But I'm glad that you did. I at least know that I am not alone in this trauma."

Edelgard sighed softly and looked in his eyes. "The Tragedy of Duscur. I remember. I'm also sorry that you went through that."

That's when she saw his eyes change at the mention of that event. They turned manic and his nostrils flared. But he closed his eyes and when he reopened them, they were like before. Calm. "Thank you. I still hold them in memory. My father, Glenn, my step mother."

"She was my mother too." Edelgard whispered. "All I have left is my father…"

Both of them then blinked and realised Claude was smiling widely at the two and they realised that they just gave away a massive secret. He leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. "So….. you two are brother and sister?"

"STEP brother and sister." Edelgard corrected. "But… since they're gone, I suppose we're not really siblings anymore are we? The marriage between my mother and your father…"

Dimitri shook his head and then turned to Claude. "Please keep all of this information to yourself."

"Hey, like I said. I like finding out secrets, not telling them." Claude shrugged and then walked up to the pair, putting his arms around them.

"But you two got me feeling left out, maybe I should have a tragic backstory just to make it even." He said that in an attempt to lighten the mood, and it worked as both Dimitri and Edelgard let out a small laugh.

"Thank you both. I feel a little better talking to someone about that." Edelgard smiled at them and they smiled back. "Okay then, so let's do some training. I think that'll get my mind off of the nightmares."

But Claude was looking behind her narrowing his eyes. "Hey. Is that Teach? Over there in the distance."

Surprised at the mention of their instructor, Edelgard turned around and sure enough, Byleth was leaving the grounds. "Our Professor is sneaking off alone? Where to, I wonder…"

"It's most unusual for her to go off on her own like that." Dimitri mused, joining his friends.

"I hate not knowing what's going on." Claude then sighed and adjusted his wristbands. "Ok, that's it. We're going after her. Let's gather up the others who know Ki and follow her."

"Intrigued, are we?" Edelgard said, smiling. "Yes, let's do just that. We will consider it… extra training."

"I agree, for I have an uneasy feeling about this." Dimitri grimaced, not liking the idea of Byleth going out alone. "I'll gather Annette and Felix. Let's meet at the gates in five minutes."

The other two leaders nodded and they all split off to fetch their classmates.

* * *

Byleth was flying through the night air, and had a small smile on her face as she loved it when she could fly. And thanks to the training she and Shamir did, she was able to fly more efficiently than before.

That's when Sothis appeared next to her and folded her arms. _'You know, we could've waited until you were feeling better. There's no rush.'_

"You remembered the Red Canyon didn't you? We might as well investigate while the trail is still hot."

' _Hmmm, I suppose I can not argue with that logic. Just try not to overdo it._ '

Byleth nodded and kept their current course. It was sunrise at this point and she had to shield her eyes from the harsh sunlight. Eventually, she saw something in the distance and looked to the spirit. "Does this look familiar at all, Sothis?"

' _Yes! It is! I can feel it, we are getting closer!_ '

She smiled at the excitement of the girl inside of her head. It was good to hear Sothis like this, after all, it couldn't be nice to not remember anything about yourself.

Eventually, Byleth saw a vast canyon and floated in the air to check out the surroundings. "Is this the place?"

' _Yes….. Zanado, the Red Canyon. Please, head toward those ruins over there._ '

Byleth nodded and slowly descended until her feet touched the ground. The heat was unbearable today with the sun shining bright on her. The breeze slowly made its way through the landscape which gave her a moments relief as the cool sensation blew across her face.

Sothis on the other hand, was fixated on the ruins in front of them as she placed a hand on her chin. ' _Yes… it's all coming back to me. This structure…'_

She then sighed loudly and furrowed her brows. ' _Oh, but it's as though my memories are clouded. The most important pieces are obscured. But I once called this home. No doubt._ '

Sothis slowly floated towards the ruins as much as she possibly could and narrowed her eyes. ' _I seem to recall something… on the other side of this wall. I cannot see it, but I can still feel it…_ '

Byleth walked up beside her and placed her hands on her hips, listening to Sothis. _'It is not my imagination, I know this to be true. We're already deep within this valley…_ '

"Edelgard mentioned a lost civilisation may have possibly called this place home. Perhaps you were part of that civilisation?" Byleth suggested as Sothis closed her eyes.

' _Perhaps.'_

"GRAAAAAARGH!"

Both of them jumped at the sound of that screech and Byleth's face hardened and got in a stance, ready to fight. Sothis looked around, trying to find the source of that roar. ' _What was that awful sound?_ '

"Sounded like a terrible scream." Byleth mused and she closed her eyes, trying to find an energy signature.

' _Yes, and that was not a normal beast, but a huge and terrifying one!_ '

Sothis then gasped and pointed out at the distance. ' _Look! There! At the entrance of the valley… a giant shadow!_ '

As if on cue, a giant wolf beast burst its way through the entrance and gave off a mighty roar, echoing throughout the valley. Byleth growled and clenched her good fist, staying in place.

' _Are you stupid? RUN!_ '

But Byleth wasn't listening as she glared at the giant beast. They locked eyes and the beast growled loudly and started to charge towards the young woman.

' _Didn't you hear me?! Run! Get out of there!_ '

Byleth stretched her hand behind her and started charging a blast. Sothis watched her in amazement as it was a green sphere that got bigger and bigger. But Byleth just stared ahead as the beast ran faster and faster towards her. Then just as the beast jumped over to her, ready to swallow her whole, Byleth thrusted her hand out and screamed.

"ASHEN BLAST!"

A giant beam shot out of her hand and engulfed the beast, giving off one last howl of agony before it got drowned out by the noise that the attack gave off. She aimed it upwards so that it wouldn't destroy the landscape. And eventually, it died down as all that was last was Byleth and the smouldering ashes of the beast.

The pair were at a loss for words. Sothis couldn't believe her eyes, and she realised that her jaw had dropped down to the ground. And Byleth was no different.

Byleth stared at her hand in awe at the display she just demonstrated and just whispered. "Did I just do that?"

' _What do you mean?! Of course you did! You didn't have to go all out on it!_ ' Sothis screamed but Byleth was still stunned.

"I didn't go all out. That was like half my power."

Now it was Sothis's turn to be shocked as she just stared at Byleth. ' _What? Are you serious? How can you be this power-_ '

Sothis then remembered a very important detail from Jeralt when Byleth woke up. ' _The Zenkai Boost… but did it give you that big of a power up?_ '

Before Byleth could respond, a series of roars sounded out. ' _Looks like we attracted a bunch of them. I don't doubt your power now, but I worry there may be too many!_ '

From the various corners of the valley came the same kinds of giant wolves as the one that got turned to ashes. ' _Those hungry wolves… that attack must have riled them up. We have no choice but to fight. Give it your all!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the distance, Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude arrived to the Canyon. Claude was panting as he had his hands on his knees. "You know… that flying ability could've been real useful right now."

They had round up the others to come with them. All the students who were learning how to use Ki were here, and in their weighted clothing. Of course, Hubert and Dedue came too in order to help their Lords.

"We got company!" Annette yelled, pointing up to the sky. They all looked to see multiple flying beasts circling them.

"This is bad…" Dimitri muttered. "But it's a good thing that we managed to catch up with the Professor."

"Yeah, it was the right move for us to follow Teach. But however you look at it, we're in a tough spot now…" Claude said, agreeing with Dimitri.

"Wolves to the front, hawks to the rear…" Edelgard mused, already nervous at the abundance of enemies around them. "We need to strategise."

"I propose we reunite with Professor Byleth first." Hubert suggested, tome in hand. "It will do us no good to carry out a corpse."

"Uhhh guys?" Leonie shouted out. She was peering over the edge and was slack jawed at what she saw. "I don't think we need to worry about that."

Everyone was confused at what she meant and ran over to where she was looking and now shared her slack jawed look.

On the floor, Byleth was surrounded by wolf corpses and was currently in the air slamming her fist down on a hawks neck, killing it instantly. Edelgard was mesmerised by the display and couldn't take her eyes off of her teacher. "How much was she holding back?"

"Edelgard, look out!"

That's when she was snapped out of her thoughts and saw a hawk charging at her, talons out. Suddenly, a force collided with her side which ended up saving her from harm and possibly death. Edelgard then realised she was face to face with Dimitri. Blue on lilac.

"Please be more careful."

"R-Right."

But then they suddenly realised the position that they were in, with Dimitri on top. They blushed and quickly stood up, dusting themselves off and readying their weapons. Dimitri formed a lance and Edelgard powered up her body, as her muscles bulged up. "We need to get to Professor Byleth!"

"Right!"

Claude grunted as he dodged out of the way of a wolfs claw attempting to take his head off and he fired a Ki blast at its face. But it only seemed to make it angry. He chuckled nervously, while prepping some arrows for back up. "How the hell does Teach do this? Was she right about that Zenkai Boost? Is the gap between her and us that big now?"

* * *

' _Why are you not attacking?!_ ' Sothis screamed, flailing her arms at Byleth who just sat on a rock with her hands on her chin.

"Because I'm bored. They're boring me."

' _Uuuuuugh! You are such a child!_ ' But then Sothis sighed and looked around at the corpses. ' _But I suppose that you are right. However, there is something that concerns me about this._ '

"That either these beasts are weak or our enemies are hiding more power?"

' _Precisely._ ' Sothis confirmed, rubbing her chin. ' _You dispatch wolves and beasts like it's nothing, yet you almost died last month… it is a mystery on our enemies._ '

That's when the two heard screaming and screeching. Sothis gasped as she realised something. ' _Those were screams!_ '

"Someone is in trouble." Byleth said, quickly standing up and looking up at the flurry of hawks focusing on one spot. "We need to get up there."

With that goal in mind, Byleth took off and started flying towards the flock, charging Ki on her fists.

* * *

"There's too many of them!" Leonie yelled shooting her arrows at the hawks chest and trying to blast them away with Ki. But they were only serving to irritate and not hurt.

"Aim for the eyes! They can't do much if they're blind!" Claude yelled back, dodging a wolf beast and using his Ki to propel himself in the air. He was upside down as he readied his quiver, charging Ki into his hand and forming an arrow with it. Following his own advice, he aimed for the eyes and shot a Ki arrow which struck the target.

This got a reaction from the wolf as it howled in pain, trying to back away but it only ended up losing its footing and fell off the cliff. He landed on the ground and pumped his fist. "Bingo! That's one down!"

"Help!"

He gasped and turned around to see Annette was on her back after being struck by a hawk. Her leg had taken the most damage and it was bleeding, and unfortunately she couldn't run on it now. Felix saw this and tried running to her but was cornered by a wolf. He growled and swung his Ki blade at it. "Get away you dastard!"

Annette whimpered seeing the hawk getting ready to charge and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry everyone….. Mercie, forgive me…"

"ANNETTE!" Felix roared trying to get to her but then realised that he couldn't do anything. Everyone saw this and couldn't get to her in time. Everything was in slow motion as Annette waited for the sweet embrace of death. Sounds were drowned out. The shouts of her friends, the roaring beasts. She couldn't even hear her own breathing.

' _Goodbye…. everyone…..'_

…

…

…

Where was the death?

She opened her eyes to see someone was in front of her, holding the hawks talons in place. It was Byleth! She saved her!

"Are you okay?" Byleth said, not looking away from her target. Annette just nodded dumbly, believing that she was in a fever dream that happened before death took her.

Byleth then grunted and threw the giant bird off of her and while it was stunned, used her Ashen Blast attack to completely vaporise the hawk. Everyone was staring in awe at this display of power as Byleth cracked her knuckles. "Have no fear students."

She then powered up as her aura flared. "Because I am here."

Everyone there honestly felt very relieved to see she was there and unharmed. But then she disappeared completely. Only to hear a squawk of pain as one of the hawks had its head snapped clean off. Byleth then landed on top of a wolf and powered a Ki blast into its back, incinerating it.

Edelgard was slack jawed. She knew Byleth was powerful, but this? She made her and the others look like a bunch of jokes! Dimitri clenched his fist, now realising the gap that was between them. One thing was clear, they needed more training. And the Lords needed Byleth as an ally for their nations.

Eventually, all the beasts were killed or driven away as Byleth landed and walked over to Annette, helping her up. "Lean on me. Can you walk?"

"A-A little."

"Good. Why did you come here?"

Everyone was confused at that question. That's when Dimitri stepped forward and cleared his throat. "We saw you leaving in the middle of the night, and got curious."

"I see… I apologise for worrying you all." Byleth said, and picked up Annette bridal style. "We will discuss this later. But let's leave before any more monsters show up."

That was something everyone could agree on and they nodded, quickly making their way out of the area and back to the Monastery.

* * *

Byleth was washing her face in her room and she looked in the mirror. They had gotten back to the Monastery just in the nick of time, before class started. Byleth had lied to Manuela about Annettes injury to her leg, saying that it was a training exercise gone wrong. Whether she believed Byleth or just didn't want to pry, Manuela said nothing else but it meant she had to change her lesson plan to accommodate the young woman. Now she was just laying on her bed groaning loudly.

Sothis appeared next to her with a sad look. ' _I'm sorry… it was my fault that one of the students got injured._ '

"No, it was my fault. I got too excited and decided to go immediately. I mean, I'm not fully recovered am I?"

' _Hmm… I suppose it's all that ends well isn't it? It's a good thing you got such a big boost otherwise we would've been in trouble._ _But it's a shame that we dived so deep and yet we have nothing to show for it…_ '

"We will find something Sothis, don't you worry."

Sothis smiled back and nodded. ' _Yes. You are correct. Thank you, my friend._ '

That's when a knock on the door sounded and a voice spoke from the other side. "May we come inside, Professor?"

That was Edelgards voice outside. Byleth gave permission to come in and she blinked in surprise to see everyone file into the room. With Felix helping Annette who had a cane for her leg. Was class over already? How long was she inside? It was Edelgard who spoke first.

"We wanted to apologise, my teacher. We shouldn't have gone out without permission."

"Sorry…" Lysithea mumbled fiddling with her skirt, which looked like a nervous habit of hers.

"No, I should be apologising." Byleth said standing up. "I should've explained where I was going and not worry all of you."

"To be fair, it was Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude who were worried." Caspar piped up earning a glare from the Blue Lions and Black Eagles leaders. But Claude shrugged.

"Guilty as charged Teach. Didn't want you to be too banged up again. But it looks like we were worried for nothing."

"You also wanted to know why she went to Zanado." Leonie piped up.

"Well yeah, but that was a bonus. Honest." Claude said, still keeping that smile, though she spotted a couple beads of sweat on him indicating he got caught.

"If you will still have us, we would still like to train with you. That battle at the canyon shows how far apart we are." Dimitri smiled, offering a hand.

That's when Byleth had an idea, and had a small smile. "Of course, do not worry about that. You still have a long way to go before we can fight. In fact, I have an idea on how to do mental training and make it fun for us all! Come with me everyone. And keep an eye on Annette."

"Don't worry Professor!" Annette chimed, puffing our her chest. "I'm feeling better- woah, WOAH, WOAH!" She found herself losing balance but found Felix catching her fall. "Thanks Felix!"

"Anytime." He grunted. "Perhaps you can sing to me as a reward."

"Y-YOU'RE EVIL!" She screamed hitting him with the cane. "IT'S VERY EVIL TO EMBARRASS ME LIKE THAT FELIX!"

"Ow! Quit it! Annette stop it!" Felix yelled trying to not only stop her from falling but also trying to stop her from hitting him. The others just shook her their head and decided that they would catch up.

* * *

"Alright students, I want you to form a circle and get in the position for meditation." Byleth explained now that they were in the usual spot where they trained in the fields. Everyone was confused.

Caspar groaned loudly. "Do we have to? This is boring!"

"I agree." Felix said, rubbing his arm and glared at Annette. "Why must we waste our time with this?"

"That's because we are doing it in a way to make it more attune to your tastes. Now do it."

The boys sighed but decided it was better to not argue. Everyone got in the position and did their breathing to clear their minds.

"Good. Now I want you to breathe out and extend your Ki. Just so that you are all connecting."

' _What are you planning?_ ' Sothis said in her head.

' _You'll see._ '

Soon, everyone's Ki connected with one another and Byleth smiled lightly. "Good, good. Now imagine yourself there. Paint a picture on how you would be in this realm."

Everyone frowned and tried to imagine where they were in the realm and Annette gasped. "Hey Lysithea! I can see you!"

"So can I! This feels so weird…"

One by one, the students all managed to spot one another and Byleth stood up. "Okay everyone, you can all see each other? Good. Then I'll suggest this. Edelgard and Dimitri will spar, along with Lysithea and Annette. Followed by Leonie and Edelgard, Claude with Petra, Caspar will be with Felix. You will spar against one another."

She looked at the students to see they had focused looks on their face and she smiled lightly seeing they were now in the midst of image training.

' _This doesn't feel like a good idea. Invading their mind.'_

"It'll be fine." Byleth whispered as she walked over to Dimitri. "I just want to see their progress. I'm going to peak inside your minds, students. You won't even know I'm there."

Byleth then placed her hand on Dimitris head who was so focused that he didn't notice her touch. But suddenly, a sharp pain ran through her head as her eyes glowed with a bright green.

" _ **KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"**_

She fell back after letting go and clutched her head. Sothis has wide eyes looking at her host with concern. ' _Are you okay?_ '

"What was that?"

' _Im not too sure._ ' Sothis replied. ' _Could it be possible that both sides of time were revealed? A future vision perhaps?_ '

Byleth shook her head and massaged her temples before going to Edelgard, and slightly hesitated on peaking into her mind, not wanting that same thing to happen again. But she decided to try, and her eyes glowed again.

" _ **I wanted to walk with you…"**_

She yelled in pain clutching her head as Sothis floated behind, gasping. ' _There it is again! Was that a vision of a possible future? What in the world in going on?!_ '

Byleth sighed and slowly reached out to Edelgards head and placed her hand on it. Nothing this time around. Sothis furrowed her brows in confusion.

' _How curious… is it possible that a dark path leads those two? Perhaps we should do something about it…_ '

"For now, we concentrate on the training." Byleth muttered. She smiled as she was finally seeing the pair sparring in the mind realm. "Very good you two, just like that. Dimitri, try to focus on defence more."

"Very well, Professor." Dimitri muttered.

"Edelgard, try to use your height to your advantage."

"Yes, my teacher." Edelgard whispered.

* * *

"That was amazing Professor!" Caspar yelled, pumping his fists. "I feel stronger already!"

"And this gives us the benefits of mental training?" Felix asked, flexing his wrists.

"Of course." Byleth nodded. "It'll sharpen your mind. It'll be good to do it every now and then. But of course physical training is key too."

She then smiled and addressed the group. "I'm glad that you are all okay. After what happened in the Canyon, I feared I may have lost one of you. I want you all to promise me something at the end of this month."

They all listened as Byleth continued. "Do exactly as I say. I'm not risking your lives for anything. As of now, it's only us dealing with the aftermath of the rebellion. But be prepared for anything, you hear me?"

"We are fully understanding, Professor." Petra commented giving a bow to Byleth.

Byleth smiled lightly again as her tail swayed from behind her coat. "I'm glad. Alright everyone, you're free to do as you wish now."

Everyone nodded and walked away to their dorms. Byleth decided to do some meditation of her own, so she wasn't rusty. Some time later, Flayn came running up to Byleth and bowed. "Hello Miss Byleth, my brother has sent for you in his office."

"Me? What for?" Byleth asked, opening an eye to address her.

"I'm not sure, if you'll please accompany me." Flayn smiled, extending a hand.

Byleth nodded and followed the girl to the Monastery, listening to her happy humming. She seemed to be good at singing, but she couldn't be sure. Eventually, the pair got to the higher floors and Flayn opened the doors to Seteths office. He looked up from his paperwork and smiled. "Ah Byleth, please sit down. I've been meaning to talk to you."

She frowned at this and slowly sat down on one of the chairs, unsure on the reason why she was called.. He then looked over at Flayn and nodded. "Thank you Flayn, I'll be needing some privacy now."

"Very well brother. I will see you soon." Flayn said, Boeing and she closed the doors with a loud thud.

It was now just the two of them with Seteth smiling at Byleth. "I… never got the chance to thank you for everything you and Miss Shamir have done for us. I know you're sick of all of this, but I think a personal thank you is in order. How is your arm?"

"It's no trouble Seteth. And my arm is fine thank you." Byleth replied smiling, but then she frowned. "But… there is another reason isn't there?"

"I'm afraid so. If you'll pardon my brashness Miss Byleth, you're just a big mystery to me." Seteth said, pouring himself some tea. "I've seen records of your father Jeralt. Ex-Captain of the Knights of Seiros. And yet, there's nothing about you. Not a trace."

"I prefer to not keep myself known Seteth."

"Believe me Miss Byleth, I'm more than aware of that. It's precisely why I have my reservations about you. I need to know if you are loyal."

"Loyal?" Byleth asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. As you know, I care about the Archbishop a lot." Seteth explained as he sipped at his tea. "And if something were to endanger her life, I would need to know. So I ask again, are you loyal?"

Byleth groaned at this and just simply said. "No."

"…No?"

"I don't know her. I barely know about the Church itself. Why would I pledge loyalty to a person that I don't even know?"

Seteth just smiled in response. "Good. That's good." He muttered writing on his paper which confused Byleth.

"You… wanted me to not be loyal?"

"If you had said yes, then that would make you more suspicious. Your father let me know about how you grew without exposure to the church. So yes, it would be strange if you were loyal to something you don't know much about."

"I suppose I can see that logic…"

That's when Byleth remembered about a certain someone. "Seteth, may I ask something about Flayn?"

She immediately noticed his hand tense up on his quill as he tried to keep a neutral expression. "Y-Yes?"

"Well, I can sense Ki. And your sisters Ki is something I have never seen before. Whenever she gets angry or annoyed, it fluctuates."

"I-I have no reason to see why this is any of your business."

"I wish to train Flayn. She has potential and-"

"That's out of the question I'm afraid." Seteth said trying not to give away his nervousness. "I refuse to let Flayn on the battlefield."

"But she could learn and grow-"

"No!" Seteth yelled slamming his hands on the desk and standing up. "Flayn will not fight, and that is final!

A silence filled the room and Byleth closed her eyes, and folded her arms.

"I see I struck a sensitive spot. My apologies."

Seteth sighed loudly and shook his head. "No, I should be the one apologising. Flayn is… special. And I will leave it at that. Just know that I refuse to let her fight. I need to keep her safe… but anyway, I believe that I have everything I needed to hear. If you'll please see yourself out. Thank you for your time."

Byleth nodded and stood up. But not before she looked at him once more, remembering her experience from today. "There's something I'd like to request. Could you do counselling sessions for Edelgard and Dimitri?"

"What? Why?" Seteth asked, very confused at this request.

"I sense great darkness in them both. Darkness that they bottle up. Trust me when I say that trying to get them to open up would be best."

"I… see. I'll arrange for counselling sessions then."

"That's all I ask for. Thank you." Byleth said bowing and leaving. Seteth noticed something when she was leaving and it distracted him. The swaying of her tail. But he quickly shook his head and placed his hands on his face.

"This hasn't exactly made me feel any easier about that woman. Or she's any light." Seteth said, sighing and rubbing his temples. "If only her mother was still alive, then I could ask all of the questions I want, and perhaps get every answer that I desire."

A knock sounded on the door and in came Flayn. She heard the shout and looked very concerned. "Is everything okay, brother?"

"Yes Flayn, it's okay. I'm just concerned about this Byleth character."

"Well, I think she's very nice." Flayn replied, smiling at him. "And strong too." She then had a thoughtful look and placed a finger on her cheek. "Though I wonder why Lady Rhea likes her so much?"

"Yes… I've been wondering that too…"

Seteth shook his head and stood up. "Why don't we go fishing? That always cheers us up. It's a lovely day today."

"Oh yes! Let's catch a big one!"

He watched Flayn run off and sighed heavily. Byleth has spotted certain things about Flayn. Especially her power. He has to keep an eye on her more…

Byleth was walking down the corridors, thinking about whether to have meat or fish today, before a voice from behind spoke up. "M-M-Miss Byleth?"

She turned around to see it was Bernadetta from the Black Eagles, shaking in her boots. "I was… wondering… a-and you can say no but…"

Byleth folded her arms and nodded. "Go on."

* * *

In the region of Gaspard, Lord Lonato was currently in his studies staring at the fireplace. He stared at the whisky in his hand and sighed. This rebellion wasn't working. Of course it wasn't, his people were farmers and hadn't learned how to properly fight and they were up against the best knights in Fódlan. What was he thinking?

"Don't you wish things could go your way?"

He gasped in surprise and wheeled around to see a man there. Specifically, it was Thales, in his Lord Arundel disguise. "Who are you?!"

"Think of me as an ally. Someone with the same goal. It was certainly awful on what they did to your son." Thales explained as he walked over to Lonato's table and poured himself a drink. "Christophe, I assume?"

Lonato was angry to hear him use that name without any care but knew that he was on the defensive. "You are right. Those dastards murdered my son!"

"I heard. And he had nothing to do with it, they murdered an innocent man."

"Yes! He was!" But then Lonato narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Why, I hate the church just as much as you. And I was so moved by your rebellion that I thought you would like a helping hand."

Thales then pulled out something from his pouch. A dark crystal. Lonato was a little unnerved by it but was curious on this little object. "What is it?"

"It will give you unlimited power. Power to crush those who tried to break down your rebellion. Power that could give you peace from your son. And it can be handed out to your soldiers."

"I will never find peace. And I refuse to let my people go near these things." Lonato said sharply before slowly taking it in his hands. "I will bear responsibility. I will take it."

"A leader until the very end. I sincerely hope that you succeed. In fact, just to be safe, I'll throw in some of my own to help you."

"….What's the catch?"

"No catch. I just want you to bring out your justice. Oh, but perhaps you can keep this on your person." Thales said holding a note. "It's all I ask."

Lonato stared at the paper and then sighed, taking it. It was the least he could do. "I'll do it. I thank you for your assistance."

Thales smirked and nodded before teleporting away, leaving Lonato by himself again. He just stared at the crystal and decided to keep it on his person for now. Lonato stared out his window and bowed his head. "Ashe… I hope you don't see the man that I have become."

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Byleth and Shamir returned and the blue haired woman was completely healed up. She was currently training the students which involved them jogging around the Monastery. Which was easier said than done for the students. Annette had her leg fully healed but this wasn't exactly her idea of fun after being confined to a cane for a week.

"Nothing like a good workout!" Claude tried to joke, but was failing to catch his breath.

"This is just a warm up Claude. The real training begins soon." Byleth replied.

That's when Shamir came running up, looking worried and panicked. "We need to go now! The rebellion has taken a turn for the worst!"

Byleth immediately understood the situation and stopped, looking at Dimitri. "Grab Ashe. We're leaving in the next hour."

"Understood Professor."

"The rest of you, get your things."

"Yes Professor!"

* * *

Soon, Byleth and Shamir arrived with Jeralt, Hanneman and Manuela as well as the Black Eagles and the hand picked students from the other classes. Byleth turned over to Catherine who was there. "Can you give us the situation?"

"Where should I start? The fog, the fact that our knights have been slaughtered or the fact that Lonato has Ki?"

"What?!" Byleth, Jeralt and Shamir yelled.

"Lonato… what are you doing?" Ashe said to himself.

"We need to take him out. And his followers." Shamir muttered in thought.

Jeralt sighed and turned to the students. "Alright, listen up. This isn't gonna be easy. Before, it was bandits and easy missions training with the knights. But here, we're going against villagers who believe in a just cause. They cannot be reasoned with, as you can see. You do not hesitate or it will cost you your life. Do I make myself clear?"

"Of course Professor." Edelgard muttered.

"Good. Now Byleth, I want your opinion on this. How should we tackle this?"

Byleth copied Shamirs thinking pose and hummed. "Manuela and Hanneman will stay with the Black Eagles, to provide backup. I want Petra and Shamir to scope out the bushes for any ambushers. Professor Jeralt and myself will take up the front with the house leaders, Caspar and Felix will take the sides, Lysithea and Annette will be at the centre with your magic and Ki. Leonie and Ashe, you take the rest as we need archers.

Jeralt looked over at the group. "Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads as Catherine held her sword. "The remaining knights and myself will provide support too. Looks like you were right, we underestimated how serious it would be."

"FOR LONATO!"

A villager came out the bushes with a pitchfork and screamed while charging at them. But a Ki beam shot through his chest, killing him instantly before he even hit the ground. Everyone looked to Jeralt who had his finger pointing at him, showing it was Jeralt who put him down.

Dorothea and Bernadetta were shaking in fear. It was sort of simple before, but here? These were just villagers! Jeralt saw them shaking and sighed. "It's now or never, let's do this."

' _Let's hope it's not a repeat of last time._ ' Sothis said. ' _You're stronger than before, so you shouldn't have too many issues._ '

Byleth sighed and nodded. "Everyone. Let's begin. Try and stick to the plan as much as possible, we're dealing with Ki. And if it's anything like before, nobody is safe."

"Got it."

"Then let's begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this went all over the place this chapter. I found out that the Red Canyon mission isn't until a while later in the game. So perfect for a group of very inexperienced students huh?
> 
> And yes, I brought up the art of image training. I was very fascinated by that in the Dragonball series but I really got a taste of it from DBZ: Kakarot.
> 
> Byleth also got visions. Visions of the future. Guess she's Bardock now huh?
> 
> Also, yes. I had Edelgards C support involve Dimitri and Claude as a way to build up their relationships. Trying to get that golden ending.
> 
> So we will start off the Lonato battle. And of course, he got a Ki crystal and is a lot more tougher than the knights. Can Byleths Zenkai Boost give her what she needs?
> 
> Also, I decided that I will make the smut in a separate story. As you can tell, I made a DBZA joke with Jeralt and Sitri which would practically be me alluding to it. I'll take requests for Byleths lovers too on that one.
> 
> And you can probably guess what I'm setting up Flayn to be. Not every arc will be the main quest. Some arcs will be paralogues with a twist. I'll tease and say there's one for Petra that will be fun to do.
> 
> Catch you all later!


	11. Chapter 11

Part 1: White Clouds

Mutiny in the Mist

" _Sitri for the last time, you should be resting!"_

" _Come on Jeralt, I'm bored stiff here! Have some sympathy for me! I'm a poor, poor woman!"_

_It was now morning at Garreg Mach Monastery, and Sitri was in her bed resting. Or rather, she was there against her will as she had been told to stay there by the doctor due to a certain problem she had. That problem being pregnant._

_After that little session she and Jeralt shared in the Red Canyon, it was revealed to her that she was with child. Which was a shocking revelation as this was something she never really considered in her lifetime. Sure, she mentioned it to Jeralt before, but now? It was a little scary to think about. Luckily, Jeralt was very supportive during her time of need. He took time off from his duties to take care of her, making sure she was comfortable, getting her lots of food. There did come to a point where he had to hunt his own food as the cooks were very annoyed with the pair. This had been the usual routine for about six months at this point._

_But now there was the newest problem. Sitri wanted to train. Unfortunately for her, Jeralt was having none of it and made her stay in bed. "Please Jeralt? I want to train!"_

" _You cannot! You need to rest!"_

" _Uuuuuuugh you are insufferable! Fine!" She groaned flopping her head on her pillow, letting out a huff that blew her bangs out of her face. She looked to the big bump she was sporting and folded her arms, glaring at him. "This is your fault."_

" _You know, I was surprised to learn that pregnancy between Saiyans is similar to humans." Jeralt said, trying to change the subject._

" _What do you mean?" Sitri asked._

_Jeralt shrugged while watering the flowers she kept at her window. "I would've thought you would have like something force the baby to grow so that pregnancy m doesn't last long. Can't imagine Saiyans having to sit still at all."_

" _Well, you're sort of tight." Sitri explained. "We carry on the pregnancy like normal, but we put the babies in an incubation tank so that the women don't have to worry about raising them."_

" _A tank?" Jeralt mumbled, while scratching his chin. "Jeez, no love on Planet Vegeta, is there?"_

" _Not really." Sitri replied. "Like I said, we're fighters. Warriors. And we were far too busy with annihilating life on other planets to really raise the kids. So, they would stay in that incubation tank until they were old enough to go on missions by themselves."_

_She let out a weak cough and slumped back down. "But man, this kid is tiring me out…"_

_Jeralt could easily see that it was doing more than that. Ever since her pregnancy started and the child inside her grew, Sitri was getting paler. Her coughing fits were becoming more frequent and even though she wanted to train, she barely had the energy to do so. Sometimes he wonders if Sitri knows this too and is just trying to remain strong for him. That's when a knock sounded at the door._

" _Are we expecting visitors today?" Jeralt asked to himself, which Sitri heard._

" _Yes. I wish to speak to Rhea alone. Just want to know about the history of Fódlan is all. Besides, I would like you to tend to my plants in the greenhouse if that's okay."_

_He frowned at this, knowing that she was trying to get him out. But no matter what, he couldn't say no. So with a sigh, he stood up and kissed her head, noting the hot temperature on it. "Just don't overdo yourself okay?"_

" _Of course my love. It's just a quick chat."_

_Sitri gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand, before sending him away. As he opened the door, he saw Rhea on the other side with a surprised expression on her face. "Oh, Sir Jeralt? I wasn't expecting you to be here."_

" _Don't worry, I was just leaving. She wanted to speak to you alone."_

_There was a certain edge to his voice that he recently developed as of late. He couldn't figure why, but Rhea was being extra shifty lately, especially when it came to the Saiyan. She acted very strange when the pregnancy was revealed and ever since that day, Rhea had been keeping a close eye on Sitri. It creeped them both out to no end._

_Rhea however, bowed to Jeralt and stepped into Sitris room and smiled at her. "Good afternoon my child, how are you daring today?"_

" _I feel like crap." Sitri grunted. Her mood was severely tainted since Rhea entered her sights. Just like Jeralt, she knew how overbearing Rhea got lately. "Can you close the door? I have something to ask of you."_

_This confused Rhea, as Sitri almost never went to her for questions. But nonetheless, she complied and closed the bedroom door. "What ails you, my child?"_

" _You're going to give me answers 'Archbishop'. Specifically about what the hell you did to me."_

_The air suddenly went cold as Rheas eyes hardened at her words. "I do not know what you-"_

" _Cut the crap, Rhea." Sitri snapped, before pulling her hair back to reveal her ears were pointed. "You didn't just save my life. You changed me. Last time I checked, I didn't have pointy ears, or green eyes, or green hair. To top all of that off, I don't have a heartbeat. Care to explain?"_

"… _You certainly have a lot of questions, don't you?" Rhea whispered, walking towards her. "Very well. I suppose you deserve to know the details on how I saved your life."_

" _Yeah, my life feels real saved." Sitri said, while letting out a cough. "I feel like every day is my last, but at least I'm alive, huh? Sometimes I wonder if I'm even Saiyan anymore."_

" _I assure you, that you are in every way a Saiyan. I knew you were a goner and so I used a combination of my blood and a Crest Stone to bring you back."_

_Sitris eyes then narrowed dangerously as she sat up. "Explain. Now."_

_Rhea saw an energy blast form in Sitris hand and realised who was the one in power right now. She sighed heavily and sat down. "Okay… here's how I did it…"_

* * *

"Forward, now!"

Byleth walked at the front, leading the Black Eagles and students through the fog, with Jeralt, Shamir and herself closing their eyes trying to find an energy signature on their enemies. But this fog was different. It wasn't natural, and it was making it very difficult to find anything or anyone.

"It's magic." Jeralt concluded. "There's a mage controlling this fog. If we take them down, it should clear."

"Sounds easier said than done." Catherine said from her side. "I can barely see my own hands, much less what's in front of me."

"Just focus." Shamir grunted, holding her bow and aiming it towards any attackers. "We need to keep the students safe."

At the back, Edelgard was feeling overwhelmed in this fog. It felt too claustrophobic and it was starting to bring up dark memories of her past. Her grip was tight on her axe but even she could see how much she was shaking. ' _Do not think about it. You're not there anymore, you're not there anymore…._ '

She jumped in fright when a hand was placed on her shoulder as she wheeled around. But then relaxed when she saw who it was. It was Dimitri. He frowned in concern at her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes. I'm fine. Thank you." Edelgard replied and Dimitri nodded, looking around.

"Stay close. We do not want to be separated. Who knows what's out there."

"Yo, Teach!" Claude called out. "Can you try flying up and maybe see if the fog clears at some point?"

"We already tried that." Byleth replied. "It's never ending."

"Damn it… then we're just blind bats."

"Technically, bats can see through sonar." Lysithea chimed in as Claude glared at her. She just stuck out her tongue in response.

"Hush. It is just like a hunt." Petra whispered as her hand rested on the hilt of her iron sword. She closed her eyes and breathed out to expand her senses. "You pay attention to the little of detail. From the wind, to the crunching of our footsteps…"

Her eyes then opened wide as she thrusted out her sword in the fog. "THERE!"

A cry of pain sounded through the scenery before a mage slumped in front of them, completely dead. Petra pulled her sword out of him and narrowed her eyes. "It seems that it's not only the people fighting. There are unknown figures too."

"This is so frustrating!" Caspar yelled. "We need to find them!"

"We will. Please be silent Caspar." Petra replied.

At the back, Leonie was looking all around her with her bow drawn. "This isn't good. None of us can sense energy, and the ones who can can't use it properly."

"FOR LONATO!"

Her eyes hardened as she turned to her left and shot an arrow into the mist… but nothing happened. That's when she gasped and felt an arm around her with a knife pointed at her throat. It was a distraction!

"LEONIE!"

She saw Claude was running up to her to try and save her but the man pressed the blade against her skin with a smirk. "Not another move! If you do, I'll slit her fucking throat!"

Claude immediately stopped but kept a stern glare at him as he backed away. "Okay? Now here's what's going to happen. You're going to surrender! Okay? Then you're going to go to Lord Lonato and then-"

WHACK!

"….Uuuuuuugghhh….."

Leonie felt herself fall to the ground as her captive let go. She quickly turned around and saw Ashe standing there with his bow. He must have used it to knock out the attacker. But Ashe wasn't happy as he kneeled down to pick up the knife that the man used.

"This isn't right… this is not like Lonato…"

"We will find answers Ashe." Leonie said. "But right now, we have a job to do."

"Job… right…" Ashe mumbled. He then looked at her and held out the knife. "We need to get this to the Professors. Maybe they know how it works."

Claude nodded and helped the two up. "Let's stick to the group until we can make this fog go away. They are waiting for us to make a move."

That's when Byleth walked up to the trio and nodded. "Precisely. Leonie, Claude, Ashe, I want you to join up with Bernadetta. Shoot on sight, do you understand?"

' _If we don't get this fog away, it could mean doom for everyone._ ' Sothis muttered as Ashe was about to show her the knife, but then Byleth felt the fog start to close in. Jeralt noticed this and tried to run towards her.

"BYLETH!"

But it was too late, as the fog closed around her and Jeralt gritted his teeth. "Dammit! Byleth, where are you?!"

* * *

Byleth was now left alone in the fog. She just sighed and clenched her fists. "So… this is how we're doing this."

' _If I were you, I would prepare for combat._ '

Byleth nodded and then Sothis wondered on what the plan would be. Would she keep sensing for Ki signatures? Possibly stay in the air to elude them? One at a time-

' _Oh my goodness! What are you doing?!_ '

Sothis covered her bright red face as Byleth was stripping down to her undergarments. Each article of clothing making a solid 'THUD!' As they hit the ground. She just blinked in confusion at the spirits red face. "What? I need to be at my best, so I need to get rid of the weighted clothing."

' _This is literally my life…_ ' Sothis mumbled. ' _I'm actually here. This isn't a dream…_ '

"Sshh." Byleth said as her boots fell to the ground. She was now in only her bra and shorts, while looking around. "I hear them."

"DIE HERIT- EEEEEEHHHHH?!" A civilian holding a rake stopped in his tracks with a bright red face, seeing the semi naked woman in front of him. That was his last mistake as Byleth blasted a hole in his chest with a Ki blast, making him flop on the ground, dead.

"We're getting close. And how much do you want to bet that the one responsible for this fog is nearby?"

That's when Byleth stopped when she heard a voice.

"I can see you Monkey Girl…"

Byleth kept looking around. She couldn't hear anything. Not her comrades. Not her dad. Not even the sounds of nature. Only this voice. "You got off pretty easy the last time you encountered us. No. Not easily. Lucky."

"Why are you here? What is your purpose?"

Silence was her response when suddenly Sothis screamed. ' _ON YOUR LEFT!_ '

She reacted quickly and ducked to narrowly avoid a Ki blast meant to take off her head. The voice spoke again. "My fog will never be stopped. Even now, my allies will dispatch of those you care about. Just you wait."

"Show yourself. So we can fight."

"You will just have to find me first."

* * *

"How many are there?!" Catherine yelled while swing Thunderbrand to slice someone in half. "They're never ending!"

Edelgard and Dimitri were back to back, trying to cover all angles as Dimitri had his lance out. Claude then managed to find the group with Ashe and Leonie by his side. "We need to find Teach! She got separated from us!"

Shamir cursed under her breath as the Gaspard soldiers were now joining the fray alongside the civilians. She threw a Ki blast at one, killing him as she was wondering what to do.

"MISS SHAMIR!"

She turned to see Ashe walk up to her. "What is it Ashe?"

"They tried to hold Leonie hostage. They used this knife!"

Her blood ran cold once she saw the knife, recognising it. "Fuck…"

That's when she turned to the soldier she just killed and she realised that he had a sword with those exact same hexes. "They're here."

Ashe however, was confused at this. "M-Miss Shamir?"

"Ashe. You listen to me. You stay close to me at all times, do you understand? This situation just got a whole lot more dangerous."

"Lonato….. why are you doing this? Why…."

Shamir then screamed around her, to alert the others. "JERALT! CATHERINE! THEY HAVE THE SAME WEAPONS AS THE ONES FROM THE TOWN! THEY'RE HERE!"

Catherine froze in place and a bead of cold sweat ran down her neck. "Shit…"

Jeralt however, growled quietly to himself as he looked around. "If that's the case, then it's no accident that Byleth got separated from us. They did it on purpose."

Meanwhile, in the back, the Black Eagles were close together, trying to see through the fog. Bernadetta was shaking in fear so much that she couldn't properly hold her bow. "Oh, why couldn't I have stayed in my room?"

That's when she saw something in the distance. "Hey guys! There's light over there!"

But then her pupils shrunk in fear after seeing a mage come out of the fog with a ball of energy in his hand, aimed directly at her. She tried running, but in her fear, Bernadetta tripped and fell on her butt. She couldn't escape.

"You will die. For our master. For- UUUUURK!"

He couldn't finish his sentence as a bolt of lightning went through his chest, cooking his insides and vaporising his heart. Bernadetta quickly turned to see who it was. It was Dorothea who stood there, completely frozen with her hand outstretched and tears flowing down her face.

"I-I killed him…"

"Kid. You okay."

She slowly turned to see Jeralt there with a hand on her shoulder. "Look alive. You can grieve later, but right now we are in danger."

Dorothea hid her eyes under her hair and nodded. "Understood Professor."

* * *

' _Okay, this is getting annoying! Where is he?!_ '

Byleth was wondering that same question. The voice kept trying to attack her but with every attempt, she easily dodged it. It was a stalemate.

That's when she heard a voice behind her. "I GOT YOU!"

The mage popped out from the fog and grabbed Byleths tail, holding it tight which made her tense up and slowly fall to the ground.

Sothis was panicking as she held her head. ' _I thought you trained it! What happened?! Oh no, this is bad! Byleth! Wake up!_ '

"You foolish girl! You think that we do not know your weakness?! You are pathetic!" The mage grinned clenching the tail tightly.

Now knowing what she had to do, Sothis summoned the Time Glyphs in order for Divine Pulse to work. But then she saw Byleths face. She gave a wink to Sothis and the spirit now understood. She was pretending.

The mage held out his knife and held it high. "This is the end for you!"

But suddenly, he felt an impact as the mercenary just jumped in the air and drove her foot deep into his ribs sending him flying back. "Impossible! I will not-"

"Shut up." Byleth said slamming her fist into his chest, completely puncturing it as he dropped to the ground, dead. Byleth just huffed and looked at Sothis. "He was annoying."

' _Was there any need for such theatrics? You had me worried!_ ' Sothis said, sighing loudly.

"I needed an opening and they were interested in my tail before."

That's when the fog around them started to slowly clear. ' _Well look at that. It's clearing. It appears that you were right._ '

"We best rejoin our comrades."

' _Indeed. Let's make haste!_ '

But then the two noticed that they were still alone. Just how far were they?

* * *

"It appears that the fog is finally dispersing… did Byleth succeed?" Catherine muttered before spotting Gaspard knights. Her eyes narrowed as she jumped in the air holding Thunderbrand above her head. She yelled loudly and swung her sword down on one of the knights, slicing him in half. The other knight tried to impale her with his lance but Catherine just ducked and sliced his legs clean off.

She smirked in triumph at her victory but then her face dropped into a frown when she heard a voice.

"It's you…"

Catherine slowly turned around to see Lonato surrounded by guards. "Thunderstrike Cassandra! It was your wretched zealotry that killed my son!"

She just laughed in response and slowly walked towards Lonato. "The only name I answer to is Catherine. Prepare to taste the blade of one who serves the Goddess!"

"Now you face a Knight of Seiros!" Catherine declared as she pointed her blade at Lonato. But all she got in response was a chuckle. This got her feeling uneasy. But then something else happened. He looked at his soldiers and nodded.

"Run along men. I shall deal with her myself." Lonato stated while clenching his fist. That's when she saw it radiating dark Ki.

"Fuck… he really does have it, I wasn't imagining things…"

"The fog has cleared. There's nothing left to hide you or the filthy Central Church from the judgement of the Goddess!" Lonato yelled as his other fist crackled with dark lightning. "Now come at me Thunderstruck Cassandra!"

"I said, it's Catherine!" She yelled back as she readied her blade and charged. She swung it in a wide arc but Lonato just ducked under to dodge it and thrusted his palm at her, sending a giant shockwave which sent her flying back and crashing her into a tree. Her armour took the brunt of it, but it still hurt like a bitch. She groaned loudly at the sharp pain going through her back and panted, getting on her knees.

"Ugh… for an old man, you sure are nimble. You also got some new tricks up your sleeve, huh? Who's your supplier?"

Lonato huffed in response and drew his sword. "Just a gentleman who sympathised with my cause. Now, I must destroy you with his gift."

Catherine slowly picked herself up using Thunderbrand as a crutch and chuckled a little, popping her back to relieve the aching pain. "Wow. You may have me on the ropes. But I got to ask, where is Byleth?"

"Byleth? I'm afraid I do not know who that is." Lonato responded. "I assume that that's the woman who the mages that the gentleman sent talked about. They seem to have an agenda with her. They described her as strange. Is she part of the Knights of Seiros?"

"Nah. She's just a mercenary. But they're right on the mark with strange." Catherine replied, readying her sword. "I think we're done talking now."

"I agree. It's time you received divine punishment for your crimes!"

"Look who's talking!" Catherine yelled now charging at him. Their blades met in a clash of sparks, but his enhanced strength overpowered her and pushed her back. She grunted in pain and rolled out of the way of a downward slice from Lonatos sword, as it dented the ground around it.

She yelled again to charge at him, trying to go for his legs, but to her surprise, he jumped over it and hit her in the face with the hilt of his sword. She growled loudly clutching her face and glared. "For crying out loud, stop moving so much!"

"Have I frustrated you? Is it too much to hear when you're forced into a corner? Like what you did to my son?!" Lonato yelled gripping his sword tightly.

He started to charge towards her and swung his sword again, Catherine tried dodging but the blade got caught on her leg and screamed in agony feeling it go through her armour. She held her leg and panted, looking at the mark. That was way too close, luckily it wasn't that bad of a wound, but she wasn't doing too well in this fight.

Catherine gritted her teeth, while slowly picking herself up. But then she saw him form a dark ball of Ki mixed with magic. Now she was really nervous. She was good at swordplay, but Ki was something entirely different. She readied Thunderbrand and closed her eyes. "Oh Goddess, please grant me strength."

"THIS IS YOUR END! NOW DIE!" He screamed throwing the energy ball straight at Catherine who held her ground and gripped her sword tight. She held the blade in front of her with her other hand holding the tip of the blade and braved herself. The ball collided with the blade and tried breaking through, with the force of the impact forcing Catherine back a few feet. But she stayed in place, still holding Thunderbrand in front. After a few seconds, she yelled and angled the blade to send the ball on a different trajectory as it flew up in the sky before exploding, with the force blowing the leaves off of the surrounding trees. But she saved herself, as well as others from death.

Catherine fell to her knees and panted, trying to catch her breath. But she just heard Lonato starting to speak again.

"Impressive. As far as I am aware, you are not one of those who can access this power. And yet, to deflect such a blast… that is truly the power of the Heroes Relics."

Catherine gasped silently when she saw Lonato walking towards her. She tried getting up, but that last attack took a lot out of her to deflect. Then she screamed in pain, feeling his hand grab her hair and slowly bring her up to her feet.

"However, it is clear to see that you are outmatched here. I will acknowledge your strength, and make your death quick and painless. It is more than you deserve, but I'm a reasonable man."

With that, he started charging his energy ball again, this time aiming straight at her face. She could feel the heat of the ball increasing steadily, if that hits her, she's a goner.

Lonato then grunted in pain as Catherine swung her sword, managing to clip his side which ended up forcing him to drop her. Her head was lowered as she propped herself on her knee and used Thunderbrand to lift herself up. "Like I tell my comrades. I don't need those fancy light shows to defeat my opponents. All I need is skill! I am a Knight if Seiros!"

"I see… then you are a fool, Thunderstruck Catherine." Lonato mumbled now waiting for her to make a move. "You wish to put me down? Then come at me."

Catherine gritted her teeth and let out a growl. He was really starting to piss her off as she jumped towards Lonato with a downward slice. But to her shock, he blocked it with his gauntlet and thrusted his palm onto her chest, sending her crashing to the ground. He tried stabbing her with his sword but she grabbed some dirt and threw it in his face, causing him to scream in pain at being blinded. Catherine took that advantage and yelled loudly, swinging her sword which hit him and ended up leaving a giant gash in his chest. Blood splattered all over her as she fell to her knees, panting and looking up into the sky.

"Finally… he's dead."

But then, her blood ran cold when she heard a voice again.

"A cheap tactic like that is not what I expect the Knights of Seiros to lower themselves to."

Catherine's eyes widened as she looked down at her foe. "No way…"

Lonato had a giant wound spanning from his chest down to his stomach. But it was slowly mending itself back together as the dark aura around him intensified. He cracked his neck and glared. "I'm through with playing around. It's time you met your fate."

He grabbed her by the throat and hoisted her up into the air as Catherine gasped for breath, trying to break free. "Please… let go…"

"Let go? LET GO?! Is that what you did to my son after you turned him over for a crime he didn't do?!"

Catherine was forced to look him in the eyes and saw hurt and anger in them. "Because you turned over an innocent person! That's what you did! Now, it's time you met your end. Goodbye, Thunderstruck Cassandra."

Lonato grabbed his blade and forced it through her side, causing Catherine to yell in agony at the injury. He tossed her to the ground as she held the wound, trying to stop the bleeding and crawl away. But Lonato wasn't done as he wiped the blood off of his blade.

"That won't kill you. I want you to know the pain I had to endure when I lost my son. Do you feel it? How it burns? How you can't speak? That's how I felt."

He then raised his blade up high and closed his eyes. "Now, it's time. Goodbye."

He brought his blade down as Catherine's pupils shrunk in fear. But then a voice sounded in the distance which caused the blade to stop mere inches from her face.

"LONATO!"

The man froze when he heard that voice. "It can't be…" He slowly turned to see Ashe who was running towards him as Shamir yelled at him.

"Ashe, stop! It's too dangerous! Get back here!"

Shamir was trying to get Ashe to stay put, but he wasn't having any of it. He kept running towards his adoptive father, who at that point was only focused on him. Dimitri, who was with Ashe, decided to take advantage of this distraction and ran over to Catherine who groaned loudly at her injury. He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rest Catherine. You have done well."

She just chuckled and spat out some blood, giving a thumbs up. "Hey, I roughed him up for you guys."

But then her eyes narrowed at Ashe standing there in front of Lonato. "We need to help him. You need to-"

"No. My priority is you right now. We have the others on standby, but let's get you to Professor Manuela." Dimitri explained carrying her bridal style. He cursed under his breath and looked around. "Where in the world is Professor Byleth…"

Catherine grunted at her injury but responded. "Seems the group that attacked her and Shamir are here too."

"Yes, I heard. Which means they separated her from us on purpose. But if the fog is lifted then…"

"That means she got the best of them." Catherine said, chuckling lowly. "She's something else."

The pair then heard someone screaming and saw Manuela running up to them. "Catherine, what in the world happened to you?!"

"Ah don't worry, Manuela. It's not life threatening. Though I could use a Concotion… or two."

* * *

"Why Lonato? I know you were hurt by Christophes death, but… to incite a rebellion?!" Ashe yelled, tears building up in his eyes. "How could you leave me out of this?!"

Lonato looked around, and saw Jeralt and the rest of the Ki students along with Shamir standing in the distance. Obviously, waiting for him to make a move. He just sighed heavily and bowed his head. "Ashe… I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Why Lonato? Why keep me out of this? Why stoop to this level…"

Ashe bowed his head too and tears started hitting the ground as Lonato looked at him. "Ashe… you are a good child. One filled with promise. I didn't want to drag you down this path with me."

But Lonato felt an urge. A dark urge at the back of his mind. An urge to kill everyone around him. ' _So… this is the consequence… I'm sorry child._ '

"Now Ashe, you listen to me. You stay on the path of good. You don't stray from it, and you fight for what's right. For me, I cannot come back from this."

"But you can!" Ashe yelled as he ran to Lonato hugging him tightly and cried. "Please Lonato, it's not too late!"

"Ashe, get away from him!" Shamir yelled. But Ashe didn't care. Because Lonato hugged him back and patted his head and closed his eyes.

"Take care of yourself my boy."

Ashe then looked up co fused. "Lonato? What are you- URK!"

Everyone tensed up when Lonato hit a pressure point on Ashes neck, causing him to black out. He caught Ashe and slowly lowered him to the ground. "I'm sorry my child. But they must know justice. And I didn't want to hurt you."

That's when the dark aura intensified again and his eyes turned black with red pupils. He slowly got up and growled. "Now for the rest of you. IT IS TIME TO DIE!"

He roared into the air as a giant wave of energy pulsed from him sending soldiers and bodies flying away, Ashe being one of them as Shamir managed to catch him in time. But she, along with everyone else were nervous.

"T-This power…" Felix grunted trying to stay in place.

"It's insane! There's no way we can beat him!" Annette cried out.

But Claude and Edelgard looked at one another and nodded. "He may be strong, but we make up for it in numbers!"

Shamir clicked her tongue while setting down Ashe and hummed in thought. "It's our only shot. Just be careful okay? One wrong move and it's over."

"Alright, let's be smart about this…" Jeralt muttered as he took his stance, drawing his own sword. "You kids stay back for now, Shamir and I will call for backup if we need it."

Lonato roared again as his power level rose to insane heights. Shamir and Jeralt swallower nervously but knew they had to fight. Jeralts aura powered up alongside Shamir as they charged.

* * *

Dimitris head snapped up as a cold sweat ran down his neck. Manuela was tending to Catherines wounds but noticed his expression. "Are you okay-"

Her own eyes widened feeling something in the air which Catherine also noticed. "Shit… is that Lonato? Damn, how much power was he hiding…"

Dimitri stood up and his eyes hardened as he looked in the direction of the rumbling. "You rest Catherine. I'm going to assist."

"Dimitri."

He slowly turned around to Catherine who had a serious look on her face. "Don't do anything stupid, you hear?"

"….I promise. Just rest."

With that, he started running to the others as Manuela kept using her healing magic. She huffed in annoyance looking around. "Where in the world is Hanneman?"

"I'm sure he's fine. I'm more worried about Byleth…"

* * *

' _Where in the world are we?!_ ' Sothis yelled. Currently, Byleth was pacing through the woods trying to reunite with the others. ' _They really have it out for you, if they were this determined to catch you alone._ '

"I'm sure we will-"

Both Byleth and Sothis froze when a chill went through them. ' _That power… it's just like before. But bigger!_ '

"And I bet that it's where everyone else is." Byleth muttered.

' _Follow that energy source! Before it's too late!_ '

Byleth nodded as she took off from the ground and started flying high speed towards the battlefield.

* * *

"DIE! ALL OF YOU!"

Shamir grunted in pain as she used both her hands coated in Ki to stop Lonatos blade from connecting with her. Even with the Ki boost, her gloves got torn and her hands got cuts on them. "What's happened? He was calm and collected before! Now he's a mindless beast!"

"It must be what Byleth described when that mage used a dark crystal." Jeralt replied landing a kick in Lonatos stomach which made the lord double over in pain and he slammed the hilt of his sword on his head. "Don't let him get to the students!"

"On it." Shamir said running back to charge up an attack while Jeralt and Lonato held each other's fists in a grapple hold. He growled in pain as Lonato was getting the better of him. His eyes looked manic as he squeezed Jeralts hands tighter and tighter.

"Kill all of them! Kill the false church!"

"Whatever your issue is, don't associate me with the knights and church." Jeralt growled as he head butted Lonato. "I teach the Officers Academy. Nothing more!"

Over in the back, Shamir held up two fingers and closed her eyes, now focusing Ki into her fingertips, slowly breathing in and out. ' _Time to break out this technique. Didn't get a chance to do it last time._ '

Jeralt backed away from Lonatos sword swings and thrusted the palm of his hand into his leg, to knock him off balance. It worked as Lonato growled loudly trying to grab Jeralt as the Blade Breaker jumped in the air charging his signature attack.

"ASHEN BOMB!" He roared throwing his attack downwards and it collided with Lonatos head who roared in pain at the scorching heat of the attack. It then detonated creating a giant explosion which covered a wide radius. The students grunted, covering their eyes to prevent dirt from getting in their eyes.

When the dust cleared, Lonato was still standing but had a massive burn patch on his shoulder. But it slowly healed away as he walked towards Jeralt who landed on the ground. "You are strong. I admire strength. It is a shame that you are part of the Central Church, otherwise I would've shook your hand. But now you must die."

Jeralt let out a 'hmph' and took his stance, ready to fight again. "So you seem to have taken hold of your senses once again."

"Yes. Though I fear that it'll not be for long." Lonato replied. "I gain incredible power, but I feel it eating away at my sanity. Taking my hatred and turning it into power. But I cannot stop. I can't turn back anymore."

Jeralt started walking towards him and summoned two Ki balls. "Then we will just have to kill you."

"I'm afraid I won't make that easy. I aim to kill the Central Church. For the crimes they committed and the execution of my son!"

This made Jeralt hesitate. Now this was something entirely new. Since when did the church execute people? Or did they always do that and he was just blind to it? He sighed and aimed his blasts to Lonato. "I sympathise with your reasons. But I can't back down."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Lonato said as Jeralt threw his Ki blasts towards him which Lonato blocked, and he shook his head. "Was that an attempt to blind me?"

"No. It was a distraction. SHAMIR, NOW!"

Lonato noticed a bright light in the distance which belonged to Shamir as she grit her teeth, focusing more and more energy into her fingertips until finally she thrusted it in front of her and yelled. "SNIPE SHOT!"

A long yellow beam erupted from her fingertips and went sailing towards Lonato who barely had time to react. The beam managed to pierce his cheek but otherwise she missed as the beam went through trees, boulders, walls, everything before dissipating. Lonato slowly looked towards the archer who punched the ground. Shamir cursed under her breath and punched the ground.

"Dammit… I missed."

"That was quite a sneaky move. But now we are done here." Lonato said snapping his fingers, as two mages popped out from the bushes and fired a dark spell at Jeralt and Shamir. The two blocked it but the balls then morphed into tendrils which started wrapping around their bodies, startling them.

"What the hell?!" Shamir grunted trying to escape but found her limbs being held in place as the tendrils wrapped more and more around her, tightening its hold.

"Dammit!" Jeralt yelled as he fell to the ground, unable to keep his balance as the tendrils covered his entire body save for his head. Shamir followed suit as the two tried to get out of the bindings.

"DARK BOLT!" The mages yelled as the two started screaming loudly in pain with electricity coursing through their bodies.

* * *

"Fascinating!" Hanneman exclaimed, hiding behind a bush. "This has been a fresher set of magic practice than my entire scholar career! I do wonder if it is just Ki that does it, or if there are Crests that help boost the effects!"

"…You know Professor, you could do things other than just hide." Lysithea said, folding her arms and glaring at Hanneman.

"I am merely observing! You lot will be fine!"

"AAAAAAAARGH!"

Everyone whipped their heads towards the source of the noises and gasped seeing Shamir and Jeralt wrapped up and being violently shocked. Hanneman just chuckled nervously and slowly crawled out of the bush.

"O-On second thoughts, I believe I hear Professor Manuela calling me. I'm coming! Just a minute!"

They all just sighed and shook their heads watching him run away. But then they saw the severity of the situation at hand. No more Professors to help them. Claude rubbed his chin as everyone got ready. "Alright we should come up with a plan. How about this? I'll take pot shots at him with Ki blasts with Leonie. Annette, you and Felix go with Edelgard to draw his attention with close quarters combat. Caspar, try going for the legs and-"

"LONATO!" Dimitri screamed sprinting past everyone and towards the Lord as Claude just nodded, humming in thought.

"…Or we just ignore the plan. Alright everyone let's go!"

The Ki students all nodded and sprinted towards Lonato. Except for Petra who just looked around. "I am… confusion. What is my place in the plan?"

* * *

Dimitri growled loudly as he charged straight at Lonato, holding his Ki lance in place. The lance collided with the sword as Lonato found himself being forced back by the sheer strength. Dimitri has a symbol flash behind his head for a split second.

"You dastard!" Dimitri yelled. "I'll be sure to destroy you once and for all! For hurting innocent people!"

"Your precious Central Church isn't as pure! They killed innocents too! MY SON WAS INNOCENT!"

Lonato pumped out more Dark Ki into his arms, which finally pushed back Dimitri as his Ki lance was starting to crack under the pressure. "I know of your Crest, 'Prince' Dimitri. Of it's power. But it pales in comparison to my own power!"

' _Damn it! He's pushing me back! My lance can't take much more pressure!_ '

Lonato growled in frustration before reaching around and grabbing Dimitris wrist and squeezed hard. It crushed the bone and caused Dimitri to yell loudly in pain as he tried getting Lonato off him, the lance long dissipated.

"Pathetic! You call yourself our future King?! Where were you when my son was murdered?! You were there that day! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Dimitri gritted his teeth and head butt him on the nose, causing it to break. "SHUT UP!"

He was dropped to the ground and Dimitri held his broken wrist. The pain going through him was overwhelming. Not even a vulnery or a concotion would be enough.

"I am sorry. About your son. But I will not allow you to continue with this foolishness!"

"You say that, yet you're on your knees with a useless arm." Lonato replied. "You only know words, and not action."

He then kicked Dimitri to the ground who tried getting up but screamed loudly when a boot slammed onto his chest. Lonato held his sword and pointed it at Dimitri. "This is your end."

That's when Lonato was sent throwing back when something struck him and it caught both men by surprise. Especially when Dimitri saw what was lodged in Lonatos shoulder.

"An… axe?"

He saw a gloved hand in his sight to help him up. It was Edelgard who had a small smile. "That was very foolish of you. What would happen to your Kingdom if the Prince died?"

Dimitri stared at the hand for a few seconds before slowly grabbing it with his good arm. "Yes… I apologise. I felt the shaking and the screams of Professor Jeralt and Shamir and I just…"

Both Nobles then realised the situation about the two adults and turned to look at them. But they were gone.

"W-Where are they?"

That's when Claude caught up to the two and panted, pointing over behind them. "Let's worry about that later. We have bigger fish to fry."

"Nice shot Edelgard!" Caspar exclaimed. "That was awesome!"

"Try not to get yourself killed boar." Felix said. Dimitri just nodded.

"You're right. I apologise for that."

"You….. you will all pay."

The Ki students all looked towards Lonato who's skin started turning pale and his eyes became black again as he picked himself up and ripped the axe out of his shoulder. The wound starting to patch itself up.

" **YOU WILL ALL PAY!** " He roared now charging towards the group.

"Everyone split up!" Claude yelled. "Leonie, to me!"

"On it!"

Edelgard didn't have her axe any more so she powered up and charged at Lonato alongside Dimitri, who was at a disadvantage due to only having one arm for now.

Lonato swung his sword horizontally to cleave both of them in half but Edelgard jumped back and Dimitri ducked under as both charged again and punched him in the chest sending him flying back.

As Lonato was flying back, he saw Annette who charged two balls in her hands. One was Ki and one was wind. She combined the two to form a Ki wave that ripped apart his armour and Felix joined in forming his Ki sword and thrusted it in his abdomen causing Lonato to roar in pain.

" **KILL! KILL! KILL ALL OF YOU!** "

He ducked under a sword swing from Petra and tossed her away which ended up with her colliding with Annette, both girls grunting in pain at the impact.

Edelgard went in for another lunge with Dimitri holding a Ki dagger but Lonato drove his knee in Dimitris stomach causing him to cough up blood and slammed into a tree. That was the attack that finally did him in, he couldn't recover from that.

Lonato blocked a kick from Edelgard and grabbed her ankle hoisting her up in the air. " **KILL! KILL!** "

He then crushed her ankle which caused Edelgard to shriek in agony as the pain was unbearable. She drew her fist back and punched him in the stomach. While it did little to no damage, Edelgard felt her Crest flare up and granted her a little relief from the pain. But her ankle was still broken and Lonato punched her in the face, breaking her nose.

"LADY EDELGARD!"

A dark orb of magic struck Lonato in the back of the head, followed by two Ki blasts which caused Lonato to drop Edelgard as she groaned, flopping to the ground.

But then she saw Hubert picking her up and carrying her out of harms way. "Are you okay, my lady?"

She gritted her teeth and held her shattered ankle and shook her head. "No… I'm done for now. I can't go on. Neither can Dimitri."

That's when a bolt of lightning struck Lonato in the back which belonged to Dorothea. Her hair covered her eyes and Edelgard noticed dry streaks of tears on her face. "Dorothea I-"

"Stop. Let's just bring him down so we can go back." Dorothea muttered charging another spell and walked towards Lonato.

"We shall assist in any way we can!" Ferdinand declared, charging to the battle.

That's when Edelgard felt a warm sensation on her ankle. It was Linhardt who was slowly healing her. He wasn't looking in her direction however, and kept his head down. "It'll numb the pain. But I'm afraid it'll take days worth of magic to fix you as well as Dimitri."

"Linhardt, why are you looking away?"

"I'm sorry. I just… don't like blood."

Hubert then noticed a tuft of purple hair shaking in the bushes and he stood up. "Bernadetta, assist the others."

"No way!" Bernadetta squeaked out. "You saw how powerful he is! We don't stand a chance!"

But she shrivelled up under his stern gaze and sighed, slowly dragging her bow behind her. "Oh Bernie, why do you do this to yourself…"

Edelgard looked at the Black Eagles fighting with the other students and slowly looked to Hubert. "You need to go too."

"What? Lady Edelgard I-"

"They need your help too. I don't know where Professor Byleth is, but right now, we need everyone. I have Linhardt and Dimitri with me, so I'm safe."

Hubert really didn't want to go. But he sighed and bowed. "As you wish."

She watched him run off and looked at Dimitri who was trying to ignore the pain. "Do we have a chance?"

"…I am unsure."

They were unaware of two shadows looming over them, charging magic in their hands.

* * *

"Shit, both Edelgard and Dimitri are down? This is bad…" Claude muttered to himself firing a Ki arrow at Lonatos back. "Guys, focus! We're down two people!"

"Yeah, we noticed!" Leonie yelled firing a Ki blast. "Lysithea! Now!"

Lysithea charged ahead and her hands glowed with magic and Ki which held Lonato down. She spun her hand around as the spell formed chains that held him in place. It was a new spell that she was practicing and it looked like it paid off.

"Finish him off guys! I can't hold him for long!" Lysithea yelled, keeping her eyes closed.

"I'll help you!" Annette said, running towards the girl and using her own magic to try and strengthen the spell.

Both girls were groaning loudly as a giant headache built up in their heads. It was too much strain to contain him.

"You heard her! CHARGE!" Claude yelled, as he ran over and unleashed three Ki arrows which hit him on the neck.

Petra followed suit by using her iron sword and thrusted it into his ribs.

Felix sliced open Lonatos chest with his Ki sword.

Leonie fired an arrow which hit his back leg.

Caspar delivered a punch to his face which had Ki powering it.

Dorothea fired a Thoron spell which scorched his right arm.

Ferdinand thrusted his spear in his stomach.

Bernadetta fired an arrow which hit his shoulder.

Hubert was about to fire a dark spell, but then he heard a voice.

"Not another attack!"

He turned around and gasped to see that Edelgard and Dimitri were bound up by the same electric tendrils as Shamir and Jeralt. The two adults were hung on a tree screaming as the electricity coursed through them.

"You would do wise to stop. We are still collecting data, and so, take another step and we kill your Lords."

Hubert gritted his teeth and let out an uncharacteristic snarl. "You bastards…"

But he knew that he couldn't win. He needed to protect Edelgard. And everyone around him knew that too until they heard.

" **I HAVE! HAD! ENOUGH!** "

Lonato roared into the sky and broke free of his binds. Both Annette and Lysithea screamed and clutched their heads in pain. But that was the least of their problems as Lonato started pumping out more and more dark Ki. Almost like he was a bomb.

"Shit! EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Claude screamed before Lonato thrusted his hands up.

" **DIIIIIIIEEEEEE!** '

A dark explosion erupted from his body and covered a wide radius, engulfing the students who were in the vicinity.

* * *

"This is… this is insane!" Manuela whispered, her hands shaking at the sheer power that came from the sight of that explosion. "That was also dark magic that came from that!"

"This is way out of my pay check…" Hanneman muttered, as he used some magic on Catherine to help lessen the load on Manuela.

"This is bad…" Catherine grunted. "We're backed into a corner. Hey Manuela, did you send for reinforcements?"

"I did, but if this keeps up there won't be anything left to save!"

Suddenly, the three of them gasped as a harsh gust of wind blew past them as Hanneman had to catch his monocle which flew off. "What in the world was that?!"

That's when he turned his head and saw Catherine laughing to herself. "I fail to see the joke."

"It's obvious who it is." Catherine chuckled while coughing. "Took her long enough."

Both Manuela and Hanneman looked at each other in astonishment. "Is that…?"

"You bet it is." Catherine replied. "And I bet she's pissed off."

* * *

The dust finally settled and Claude coughed loudly trying to get it out of his lungs. He slowly picked himself up and breathed out. "Everyone okay?"

"I want to die…" Lysithea grumbled into the ground.

"Okay, so she's fine."

That's when he noticed the danger he was in. Everyone was down. Clothes torn apart, multiple cuts in places. He just shook his head and grabbed his bow, chuckling to himself. "You know, it's really hard for me to plan my escapes when you people keep doing this kind of stuff out of nowhere!"

" **Kill… kill…** "

Claude steeled himself and slowly turned around. "So just you and me, is it? Alright fine, let's do this- URK!"

He was grabbed by the throat and slowly lifted up by Lonato. Who had a crazed look in his eyes as the two mages looked onward, ignoring the pained screams that came from Edelgard, Dimitri, Jeralt and Shamir.

"It appears that this batch was a success."

"Indeed. Lord Thales will be most pleased. Though it appears that he has lost his mind."

"True, but he has shown to gain control again. A major improvement."

Claude gritted his teeth as Lonato kept a firm grip on his throat. "Guess… I have to embrace death… I'm sorry old man… Judith… everyone… I failed you."

"NO! CLAUDE NO!" Leonie screamed trying to get up but the mages grabbed her attention.

"Ah, Ah, Ah." The first mage said forming a dark magic ball and aiming it at a Dimitri. "If you interfere, then this one dies."

"YOU BASTARDS!" Leonie screamed with tears in her eyes.

"Leonie… it's okay." Claude said, closing his eyes with a smile. "Take care if everyone for me okay?"

"No… we can't… let him… die." Dorothea grunted, trying to pick herself up.

Claude closed his eyes and waited for it.

Everyone screamed as Lonato started to squeeze. It was like time had slowed down. And in the distance, a shadow flew past the trees and landed a solid kick to Lonatos head, causing him to drop Claude as he went sailing into his home, crumbling it down.

Both mages were frantically looking around. "What in the world is happening?!"

They gasped loudly seeing the cocoons being sliced off the trees as the four captives groaned in relief, finally being freed. The second mage formed a magic ball. "Brother! Look around for-"

"AAAAAARGH!"

He whipped his head around to see the first mage drop to the ground, completely dead.

Claude was also confused on what was happening. "Is this… a sneak attack?"

"SHOW YOURSELF INTRUDER!"

He then slowly grinned as he realised what was going on. "You took your time, Teach."

A fist made its way through the chest of the mage who screamed before dropping dead. It was Byleth as she tugged her fist out his chest.

Relief poured through everyone, with Annette, Dorothea and Bernadetta shedding tears of happiness. They were saved!

"My teacher…" Edelgard coughed. "You made it."

"I am so glad to see you again, Professor." Dimitri laughed silently before groaning in pain.

"Rest now, my students. I will take it from here."

She slowly walked over to Jeralt and Shamir, slowly helping them up. Shamir dusted herself off as she smiled. "It's a good job you got here when you did. Looks like they tried to separate us. You sure showed them, didn't you?"

"I'm glad to see you kid." Jeralt smiles, ruffling her head… until he noticed a big problem.

"WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?"

Like a penny that dropped, everyone realised Byleth was only wearing a bra and shorts. Some tried to cover their eyes, while others just stared at her body.

"What? I needed to get the weight off." Byleth replied.

Edelgard was one of them. She was completely drawn in by her body. She also saw how many scars Byleth possessed. But they all looked fresh. And then there was that ugly one on her shoulder that she got. It made her cling to her shirt in fear, being reminded of her own.

"Are you okay, Lady Edelgard?" Hubert grunted, dropping to his knees. "I failed you. I was unable to protect you."

Like the others, he too sustained major damage, but Edelgard shook her head. "We are all alive."

"For now."

Everyone turned to Petra who stared at the large ruined building. "You are all feeling, correct? It is rising in power."

That's when Byleth has a deep frown and clenched her fists. "Dad, Shamir, Claude. Get everyone out of here to a safe distance. I will deal with this myself."

"Are you insane?" Felix yelled, discarding his torn shirt. "We couldn't beat him with all of us, what makes you think you can do it alone?"

She just glared at him. "Go. Now."

Before anyone could argue, Jeralt and Shamir nodded to each other. "Let's go."

Shamir picked up Ashe who was still unconscious and Jeralt picked up both Edelgard and Dimitri. "Be careful kid."

"I know dad."

He slowly nodded and motioned for the others to follow.

' _You better hope you have what it takes._ ' Sothis said in her head. ' _Though, I sense your power. You have an insane pool of potential. It should be enough.'_

"It will." Byleth replied as the large house exploded as Lonato came jumping out of it, roaring. But then he saw Byleth and his demeanour calmed down as his eyes returned to normal.

"So. You are Byleth Eisner, correct?"

She just nodded as Lonato looked at her. "Only in undergarments and shorts. Yes, you are just as unique as described."

"You know why I'm here." Byleth said, taking a stance. She wasn't fooling around.

"Straight to the chase, I see." Lonato replied. "I suppose it is only fair I accept your challenge."

"It's not a challenge. It's your funeral." Byleth growled causing Lonato to flinch.

"Very well. If you're that confident, COME AT ME!"

Byleth nodded and charged towards him as the two caught each other's hands and pressed their heads together, growling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty action packed chapter this time around. It's very difficult to write fighting scenes, I have realised. I hope you all bear with me on my writing haha.
> 
> So yes, it'll be Byleths turn next chapter. Will her power be enough to do the job?
> 
> So I will be using movie villians in this story. One is definitely making its way in, I have an arc planned around that.
> 
> I also have big plans for Edelgard. You might have noticed I'm getting her closer with Dimitri and Claude. Perhaps she's realising that she doesn't need those 'allies', hm?
> 
> A reviewer asked if Flayn is going to be like Gohan. Not exactly, but you are close. But keep in mind, Byleth is half Saiyan.
> 
> And also, as this is DBZ and Byleth is half Saiyan, you should know what she will eventually be acquiring.
> 
> I hope you all like the flashbacks. Because they will be over soon as you probably know.
> 
> Please review and favourite if you can, and I’ll see you in the next one. Catch you later!


	12. Chapter 12

Part 1: White Clouds

Hidden Potential

" _AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"_

_Sitri was in the infirmary of the hospital wing, sweating hard as she felt pain everywhere around her. She was currently in labour. Her water ended up breaking overnight and Jeralt ended up having to rush her to the infirmary. He wanted to stay and help her, but he was told to stay out as Sitri just wanted to do this alone. But also, she could feel it coming. The end._

_She wasn't a fool. She knew that this kid was killing her. No, it wasn't the kid. It was Rhea and her meddling about with things she shouldn't be meddling with._

_Rhea had explained the process of using the Crest Stone to keep her alive. How she implanted it in her heart that day when she crashed here. But that's all it was doing to her at the end of the day. She was effectively a walking corpse, and worse of all, the Crest Stone was failing, it couldn't keep her gripped to this world and with each passing second, she grew weaker._

_And this was the epitome of it. She lost so much blood from this that the nurses were amazed that she was still alive._

" _Push harder!"_

" _WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!" Sitri screamed as she crushed the headboard in a way to quell her agony. But it only made her more frustrated as the wood now dropped to the ground._

_This scared one of the nurses into scrambling out the room as the head nurse held her hand. This was someone Sitri could rely on, as she had been taking care of her since she got to this planet. "You're almost there dear. Just a little more. One last push okay? Can you do that?"_

_Could she do that? Sitri wasn't sure. She was completely drained, and she felt woozy due to the amount of blood that she lost. She hadn't felt this way in years. Not even when she purged planets and but off more than she can chew. She felt completely helpless, tired, and worse, failing to stay alive. But if she didn't do this, the child inside her would die. And she couldn't have gone through all of this just to lose a precious life. So with a weary sigh, she steeped her resolve._

" _Let's do it."_

" _Good girl. Now one, two, three!"_

_Sitri squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth so hard she was afraid that she might have broken them and screamed loudly which echoed throughout the entire Monastery. It was complete agony to do this task. But then she had a feeling of emptiness as the pain dulled. Did she do it? The head nurse smiled as she had a little baby in her arms._

" _It's a girl."_

_Sitri slowly tilted her head to see, but the head nurse had a worried look on her face. "T-There's no movement…"_

… _Fuck._

_The head nurse looked at Sitri and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."_

_Sitri was at a loss on what to do. Her child… was a stillborn? She saw the child in the nurses arms, and she was right. No movement, no breathing at all._

_But Sitri knew something else. That final push was the last straw, she could feel her life draining away. That's when she remembered about what's in her chest. Her eyes hardened and she looked at the nurse._

" _Give her to me. And get Lady Rhea."_

" _M-Miss Sitri, are you-"_

" _NOW!" Sitri yelled as she wasn't in the mood to argue. Panicking, the nurse set her in Sitris arms and ran out the room. She slowly looked down to her child's face and her eyes softened a little._

_The child was almost identical to her. Only instead of her green hair, she had tufts of blue hair on her head, but what really made her happy was the fact that she had a little brown tail that was limp at her side._

" _Good… at least the Saiyans will live on if this works."_

_That's when the door opened and Rhea came walking in, with the head nurse behind her. But Sitri glared at her and stated that she and Rhea be left alone._

_The nurse complied and slowly backed out as Rhea kneeled beside the bed. But her eyes lowered when she saw the stillborn._

" _She… looks beautiful. Sitri I'm sorr-"_

" _Shut up." Sitri said. "You're going to do something for me. Got it?"_

_This shocked Rhea to no end. What in the world does she want now? Sitri answered that question. "Give her my heart."_

" _W-What? I cannot do that, if I take it out, then you'll die!"_

" _Couldn't you tell that I'm already dying?" Sitri snapped, stunning Rhea. "Would you rather let two people die, or give one the chance to live?"_

_Her eyes then softened as her head slumped to see Rhea. "Please… I don't have long… save her… save Byleth…"_

" _Is… that her name?"_

" _It is…"_

_Rhea was silent for a moment. She respected Sitri, she really did. But this was just another failure at the end of the day. All she had to show was a half breed-_

_Wait a minute._

_She looked up at the ceiling as new thoughts entered her mind. This was perfect! This one may have been a failure, but she has another chance! To start anew and bring back her mother! And it's not like this is foreign to her, it's exactly what she did to Sitri. Not only that, but she had the DNA of Jeralt, who had the Crest of Seiros!_

_This could be the one! She might succeed this time!_

' _Mother… we have another chance!'_

_She then looked at Sitri and gave a wide smile. "I will do it."_

_But then Rhea gasped when Sitri grabbed her dress and pulled her close so they were eye to eye. "I don't know what's going through that head of yours. But you better make sure my daughter lives and only that. She's not your puppet. Got it?"_

"… _Very well. Let's get started." Rhea mumbled, pulling up her sleeves and her hands glowed with green magic._

" _Wait."_

_Sitri slowly looked to her left hand and tugged off her wedding ring. "Give this to Jeralt… when it's done…"_

"… _I will."_

* * *

_Jeralt had been busy pacing back and forth for hours. He couldn't stop as he was worried about Sitri. The blood in her room when her water broke was enough to send alarms in his head. Not to mention the screams of agony that went through the building sent everyone on edge._

_He had little hope that his wife would survive. It seemed that both of them had known that. But still, he could at least believe that both she and the child would live._

" _Captain Jeralt."_

_He spun around to see the head nurse with Rhea, the former holding a bundle in her arms. But only one question rang through his mind as he walked up to them. "Where's Sitri?"_

_The head nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry. It was too much for her body to take. And for a while, it seemed that we lost the child too."_

_Rhea clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "But it seems that the Goddess blessed us with a miracle. The child is alive and healthy."_

_Jeralt just stood in place as he couldn't hear Rhea. Sitri was gone._

_She was gone. He will never see her again. Of course she was gone. It didn't take a genius to see how frail she looked. Sitri must've sent him out because she didn't want him to see how weak she was._

_Wait. They almost lost the child?_

_He almost cried at that, he almost lost both his wife and his newborn. But he managed to stop himself, he wouldn't show weakness around anyone. Instead, he just looked to Rhea. "Did she name the child?"_

_Rhea simply nodded. "Byleth."_

"… _Give Byleth to me."_

_The nurse nodded and slowly handed the bundle to him and Jeralt stared at the little baby girl. She looked just like her mother, just with tufts of blue instead of green._

_He sighed heavily and brought Byleth close to him. He knew she wouldn't survive. But at least Byleth was safe._

" _Jeralt… she wanted to give you this."_

_Jeralt looked at the ring in Rheas hand and bubbly took it away fro. Her, and just closed his eyes. He turned away, not bothering to listen to anyone as he walked off to his quarters. His old captains quarters._

' _Byleth… you're so beautiful. I'll make sure nobody hurts you.'_

_However, one thing didn't sit right with him. The kid hadn't made a peep. No crying, no sounds, nothing._

" _I must just be imagining things… come on kid, let's get you home okay?"_

_Byleth just stared blankly at him as he sighed once again._

* * *

" _Rhea… what did you do to her?"_

_Jeralt was in his office with his hands in his face as he sighed again. He doesn't know what to do, especially with what he learned about Byleth who was no different to what she was the day he got her. It had been a week since Sitri's death, and he couldn't bear himself to go back to her old room. Rhea has it cleaned and it was arranged to exactly how she had it before._

_But it just brought up bad memories for him. Memories of happy times that will never continue. He just couldn't go back. Right now, Jeralt was currently writing in his diary about his thoughts about news that he just received._

" _Day 25 of the Horsebow Moon. It's raining. Byleth doesn't laugh or cry. Not ever. Lady Rhea says not to worry, but a baby that doesn't cry… isn't natural. Had a doctor examine little Byleth in secret. He said that the pulse is normal, but there is no heartbeat. No heartbeat!"_

_He closed the diary and rubbed his temples, pondering on what to do. Sitri was right in being cautious of Rhea. She always tried to visit Byleth, but Jeralt recently kept sending her away. He peered in the basket and looked at the child._

_He smiled slightly at the brown monkey tail curling about. At least there was something that was active, it should be no surprise that it is her Saiyan side. But that reminded Jeralt of an important detail._

_Byleth was half Saiyan. She had the blood of an alien species. He had to assume that she would be no different to her mother. In fact, he already knew that much judging by how much milk she drinks. But it was strange, seeing Byleth so… emotionless._

* * *

" _Day 2 of the Wyvern Moon. Sunny. I feel I must take Byleth and leave. But the Church is always watching us… I don't know what Lady Rhea has planned. I used to think the world of Lady Rhea. Now I'm terrified of her."_

_Jeralt looked out the window while feeding Byleth. He learned how difficult it was to care for a half Saiyan baby in terms of food. He ended up clearing out all the merchants supplies of milk to satisfy Byleth. Of course, Rhea was always happy to get more milk, but she scares him._

_She was obsessed with Byleth. That damn look in her eyes, like Byleth is some kind of precious jewel. It was just like how she acted during Sitri's pregnancy. It unnerved him to no end. He needs to leave. But how?_

* * *

" _Day 8 of the Wyvern Moon. More rain. I used the fire that broke out last night to fake little Byleth's death. Lady Rhea is in a state over the news. But I can't change what I have done. It's now or never, we need to leave…"_

_Jeralt finished writing in the log of his diary and closed it, frantically looking around his office and then to his diary. He narrowed his eyes and tucked it inside his inner pocket. He can't leave behind any evidence of what he did._

_There was a special place in hell reserved for him after what he did. Sure, the child he used was already gone from this world, but it deserved a burial, not as a decoy in a burning fire. He didn't even check to see what the child was. But what's done was done. He needed to be quick._

_He threw on a cloak with the hood up and hoisted a big rucksack with supplies in it. No doubt he would need this until he could figure out a way to make coin. But more importantly, for a way to care for Byleth. He looked over at the baby in her little basket who was nonchalantly nibbling on her little tail but staring back with a blank look._

_It was difficult to do a convincing act of grieving, especially when he didn't even know the corpse of the child. But it seemed to have worked as everyone gave him space. He sighed and opened up the window of his office, giving sight to the big storm that plagued the Monastery._

" _I'm sorry Alois. But I don't trust this place anymore. After what I did, I wouldn't even allow myself to come back. Though I imagine if you find me, I'll no doubt be forced to come back."_

_It was the darkest of nights alongside the storm. It was perfect to go under the cover of darkness. Now finally ready, he gently picked up the basket and placed a foot on the windowsill. He hoped that everyone would assume he was filled with grief and left in a life of isolation._

" _Goodbye… everyone."_

_He jumped out of the window and suspended in the air with his Ki, and took off into the distance, holding the basket close to keep the rain from hitting Byleth. "I need a drink after this…"_

_A small gurgle caught his attention and he looked down to Byleth and smiled. "So, you can make some noise huh?"_

_He sighed and stared ahead, not looking back to the Monastery. 'Byleth… it's just you and me now.'_

* * *

"Professor!"

Jeralt was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard noises. He turned around and saw that it was Dorothea who had a sad look on her face. "Are you okay? You were crying."

He realised dry streaks of tears were on his face. But he shook his head while wiping the tears off and waved off her worries. "Just remembering stuff. I'm fine."

Jeralt looked in the distance at Byleth fighting Lonato and closed his eyes. ' _Do not die on me kid, I don't think I can live if I lost you too._ '

* * *

"So, it seems you are a lot stronger than the others." Lonato said, gritting his teeth.

He and Byleth were in a grapple lock currently, just like he did with Jeralt earlier. Only this time, it was very clear on the power gap between them and Byleth tightened her grip more and more, almost breaking his fingers.

"You are not getting away with this. You attacked my students. You attacked my friends. And you attacked my father." Byleth said and pulled him towards her so that they were face to face. "You're not getting out of here alive."

She then jumped in the air and slammed her boot in the side of his face, making him fly off in the opposite direction. But Byleth wasn't done. Because she fizzed out of thin air and reappeared on top of him. She held her hands together and slammed it in his chest, making him fly down and crash to the ground.

Byleth dropped back down but kept her stance, waiting for him to get out.

' _Impressive. You've already shown better progress keeping up with these guys._ ' Sothis remarked. ' _But the fight is not over yet. Don't forget you have your Divine Pulse charges._ '

"Don't think I'll need them." Byleth replied still keeping her eyes on the crater before her.

' _This is no time to be cocky!'_

Byleth wasn't listening as she felt the power before her rise rapidly, and her eyes hardened. "He's coming."

A roar sounded from the crater and a giant pillar of energy erupted out as Lonato slowly floated up to the surface looking furious. His skin got more pale and his eyes were back to black with red pupils and red lightning crackled around him.

" **You… how dare you… HOW DARE YOU!** "

He charged to her with a mighty roar as Byleth flew up to meet him in the air. Her aura flared around her to give her more power as both drew their fists back and collided. The force of the punch blew a couple of trees back a little, but Byleth just had a small smirk as Lonatos fist was inches away from her and her own fist was lodged deep in his face, with his reaction being one of shock as he couldn't believe how fast she was.

But he growled in return and tried punching her with his other hand but she just caught it and smiled slightly before soaring up into the air, carrying him by his arms before rocketing towards the ground and throwing him to near terminal velocity. Lonato yelled loudly seeing the ground quickly approach before he gasped as he saw Byleth teleport just below him and stuck out her knee and caught his stomach on it causing him to cough out purple blood.

She then threw him up in the air with her and while he went soaring up once again she cupped her hands and charged an Ashen Blast. Byleth thrusted her hands forward and fired the attack at Lonato who couldn't react in time to dodge and the attack enveloped him, causing a massive explosion.

* * *

"Holy crap! Teach is not fooling around!" Claude exclaimed, as he watched the fight unfold with the others who could barely keep up with the action.

"Good." Shamir commented, giving a nod. "She's not giving him a chance to counterattack. Though where was all this power last time? Or was this Zenkai Boost thing such a potent power up?"

Jeralt wasn't listening however and just watched his daughter charge to Lonato again who got an even bigger boost from the crystal. "She's not out of the woods yet. Lonato is getting stronger and stronger with each passing minute. She needs to finish him fast."

Catherine grunted loudly bringing herself up to a sitting position and held her side. "The big question is, will she be able to do it before that happens?"

"Come on Professor." Caspar whispered, clenching his fists. "You gotta win. You just gotta!"

The other students mimicked Caspar thoughts. They all knew that the power Lonato had before them was way out of their own, so all they could do was hope. Hope that Byleth can win.

* * *

' _Be careful. He's becoming less predictable now that his mind is being lost. You need to finish the job fast! There's no bringing him back!_ ' Sothis exclaimed as Byleth dodged a punch. Lonato had long abandoned his sword and was now trying to crush Byleth with his hands. But she could dodge blow after blow and not be in danger just yet. She teleported away from a punch and counterattacked elbowing his face.

"I'm trying." Byleth said, delivering a kick to his head, knocking him down. "But I feel his power rising. I fear that I may not be strong enough soon."

' _Just remember you have Divine Pulse!_ '

Byleth nodded and watched Lonato stand there motionless, clenching his fists as the lightning intensified.

" **Christophe… my son… you all will pay… kill… rip… tear…** "

' _Oh no…_ ' Sothis whispered. ' _Just like that Goliath from last time._ '

"I still have the upper hand." Byleth explained. "The only problem is that he keeps shrugging off my attacks. I need one big attack or to deliver a fatal blow."

' _Be careful…_ '

A piercing roar then sounded through the land as Lonatos aura exploded around him causing Byleth to shield her face. " **Rip! And tear!** "

Byleth flew towards him again and landed a punch in his face, hoping to catch him off guard. But her own face fell in shock as he was completely unfazed by it and grabbed her by the arm.

"Not again!" She yelled kicking him with all her might, with the force sending him flying back and dropping her in the process. She flew up into the air and let out a breath.

That's when she saw him flying too and gasped in shock, not expecting him to actually know how to fly. He grabbed her by her leg and went crashing down to the ground, taking her with him.

A giant explosion sounded throughout the area as Lonato slowly picked himself up, and growled loudly. He stopped himself just in time so he didn't risk being buried.

Byleth however, was in a predicament. She was completely buried in rubble, with a giant boulder trapping her limbs. No matter what, she couldn't get out. Not even her Ki attacks could make an opening for her. "No! He's going to kill them! They're not strong enough!"

" **Rip… and tear…** " Lonato muttered slowly making his way towards the group as Jeralt and Shamir got in their stances.

"Shit… this isn't good…" Shamir muttered as Claude got beside her. "Claude, stay back!"

"You need help! We can assist!"

"That's right!" Annette yelled going beside Jeralt and forming a Ki ball in one hand.

"Catherine you need to rest!" Manuela said, trying to keep the knight down.

"I have to… protect you all…" Catherine groaned, reaching for Thunderbrand.

Hubert got in front of Edelgard and glared at the approaching Lord. "You mindless beast. You will not lay a finger on Lady Edelgard."

In the crater, Byleth kept trying to blast her way through. But the combination of cramped spacing and the amount of rubble meant she couldn't make much progress. "No! I can't let him do it!"

' _You need to turn back time! Are you listening to me?!_ ' Sothis screamed trying to get her to see logic.

But Byleth was not listening at all. Because she was reminded of when Shamir repeatedly got killed before her in the town where they fought the Goliath. And now the same thing was going to happen to her again. Not only her, but Catherine, her students, the Professors. Even her father…

Sothis had enough and was about to turn back time herself, but stopped. Because she felt a power steadily rising. She turned around and gasped seeing that it was Byleth! It was rising higher and higher and it caused the surrounding rubble to vibrate.

' _B-Byleth?_ '

"I won't… let him…"

Back on the surface, Jeralt and Shamir froze when they sensed a rapidly increasing power. It was even enough to make Lonato stop in his tracks. The rest were confused on the rumbling and tried to find the source. That's when the crater burst open and Byleth jumped up from the pit and landed on the grass.

Only she was much different and it unnerved Jeralt. He had not seen any emotions from Byleth, not even from when she was a baby. But this? This was pure anger as she gritted her teeth and let her aura explode. Not only that but a flash of a symbol appeared behind her when her aura powered up. Something Hanneman noticed.

"She has a Crest…"

"How powerful is she?!" Jeralt yelled to himself as Byleth seemed to have vanished and reappeared in front of Lonato who roared and charged towards her.

" **DIIIIIIEEEEEEE!** "

But she just thrusted her arm out and screamed. "ASHEN BLAST!" Before the Ki blast shot out of her hand and the attack enveloped him. But this one was astronomically more powerful than her last one as everyone had to shield their eyes from the sheer might of the attack. It even travelled far away and completely vaporised a nearby mountain, with not a trace left.

Byleth panted as the attack died down, leaving only smoke on her hand as her senses returned to her. What she noticed when she calmed down however, was the bewildered and scared expressions on everyone's face as they looked at her and the mountain area.

"H-H-Holy crap!" Claude said, dropping to his knees not being able to take his eyes off of the display.

"A-Am I dreaming? I need a lie down… this is becoming too much for me…" Manuela whimpered, having fallen to the ground with her legs unable to hold her up.

"Impossible…" Was what ran through everyone's minds as they stared at the damage Byleths attack did.

Edelgard was the same, as she couldn't keep her jaw closed from the sheer shock she went through. Just how much power was her Professor hiding? Even Professor Jeralt didn't have this much! Was this the power her allies feared so much? ' _So many questions and yet I'm no closer to solving them…_ '

"Kid… h-how did you do that?" Jeralt whispered, his hands shaken at his sides as he stared at his daughter.

She suddenly felt very self conscious and turned to Sothis for answers. But found her also hunched over with a dropped jaw and bugged out eyes. Byleth timidly whispered to the spirit. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

' _Why is… WHY IS… LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!_ '

Byleth slowly turned back and gasped at what she saw. It was Lonato. Or rather, his lower half. His torso and head were completely vaporised and not only that, but she saw the destroyed mountain and slowly looked at her hands, seeing smoke come off of them. "I felt… a burning feeling in me… after that…"

' _Yes, I felt that power too._ ' Sothis muttered having now recovered from her little freak out session. ' _There seems to be a lot of hidden power inside you. Seems that the thought of your loved ones being harmed helped bring out that power._ '

Byleth tried to not pay attention at everyone looking at her in fear, as she hid behind her father. That's when Caspar grinned.

"Professor, that was awesome! You totally annihilated him! Is this what we can eventually do?!"

"I agree." Felix said, giving a small smirk, pumping his fist. "It's one thing to be told of a great power, it's another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes. I will definitely increase my training even more."

The students all agreed, and it felt like the tension in the air lifted slightly from the students enthusiasm.

That's when they all heard a voice. "The Knights of Seiros have- what in the world happened here?!"

They all turned around to see Alois there with the Knights of Seiros, and with Seteth and Flayn in tow. They surveyed the battlefield and saw multiple craters, injured and dead civilians and guards, along with heavily injured students. Alois ordered the knights to tend to the students, before he turned his attention to Jeralt. "Captain, what-"

"We will discuss it later Alois." Jeralt said, picking up his sword that had been long forgotten. "We need to talk to Lady Rhea about future missions."

"What in the name of the Goddess happened here?!" Seteth yelled, unable to process the amount of damage that had taken place here. "Where are the knights that were stationed here?!"

"Just… ngh… me left." Catherine grunted, being helped up by Manuela and Hanneman. "We didn't stand a chance. It was thanks to Byleth that we are still here."

Seteth turned to Byleth who, at this point was dressed and put on her coat over her shoulders. Seteth cleared his throat and placed his hands behind his back. "I see. Well Miss Byleth, it appears that once again, we are in your debt. I thank you."

But Byleth wasn't listening anymore. She just looked around and truly saw what she had done to this place. Even Castle Gaspard was gone. But while she was staring off, Ashe groaned loudly as he woke up, holding his sore neck.

Shamir was going to hold him, but when he saw Lonatos charred remains, she let go and allowed him to go. He slowly walked towards Lonato and sank down to his knees just staring at him.

Dimitri, feeling sympathy, tried to reach out for Ashe but Shamir just shook her head. "Give him some room. He needs some time alone."

Shamir then turned to the others and sighed. "Alright everyone, I know it's been a very tough day, but we will need to help each other in getting the injured to safety."

Dorothea just nodded, clearly unable to take in all the death and fighting that she did. Plus, that man she killed. His face would haunt her forever. She then jumped slightly feeling a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Petra standing there, with a neutral look on her face.

"You did the correct thing. It is not easy."

She nodded again and stared at Edelgard. "Edie… you almost died… and poor Bernie…"

Petra helped her up and slowly grasped her hand giving it a squeeze. "We must move on."

"Yeah… thanks Petra… let's go and help Edie…"

"Indeed. We shall help,"

* * *

"Why… why did you do it Lonato…"

Ashe didn't know how long he had been kneeling there for, but the sound of boots approaching him finally caught his attention. He slowly looked up and saw Byleth standing there with a sad look on her face. "Oh… hello…"

He just shook his head and wiped away a lone tear, sensing what she thought. "Don't be sad Miss Byleth… you did the right thing in the end. I knew that it would be foolish to assume he would just surrender. Lonato wasn't one for that."

"But… why would he do this? I just don't understand… my head hurts just trying to make sense of the situation."

Byleth looked away and placed a hand on her hip. "We all have a breaking point. Even the most gentlest soul can just snap one day and have enough of the world. In my line of work, I've seen many people not being able to cope with the world and it's harshness."

Ashe continued to look at Lonato's remains and closed his eyes. Byleth stared at the boy before her and rubbed her arm. She let out a sigh and adjusted her coat. "I assume that you have questions about Ki."

"Why… how can something so destructive exist?" Ashe whispered out. "Why teach something that only destroys?"

Byleth pursed her lip and looked at her hands. "Ashe. Look at me."

He slowly looked at her as she had a Ki ball in her hands. "Hold out your hands."

"Why Miss Byleth?"

"I wish to show you something is all."

Ashe nodded and did as he was told. He gasped softly as she placed it on her hands. "It's… warm."

"It's a delicate balance Ashe." Byleth explained. "My father always said that to me. Ki is like fire. In many cases, it brings us warmth in a dark place. It helps us see, it helps others. But if it gets too out of hand, then the results are destructive."

She took back the ball and dispersed it. "It's up to us in how we choose to use that power. And if you would like, I would like to teach you how to use it."

Ashe gasped, watching as Byleth extended her hands towards him. "Normally, I would wait for requests on training. But you? You seem like a good hearted boy. And I would like to show you the path of good. Will you accept?"

This was something that Ashe wasn't expecting. Sure, he has grown to respect the training Dimitri and the others do. But he has seen how destructive it can be too. On the other hand, this could be a chance for him to protect and care for people, just like Lonato did for him. And he would honour his final promise too and stay on the good path.

So he smiled and grabbed her wrist, and she helped him up as she smiled back. "You will begin training tomorrow."

"Thank you Miss- er, I mean, Professor Byleth."

But then they noticed something sticking out of Lonatos pocket and Ashe picked it up and saw a strange seal on it. "Perhaps we should give this to Miss Shamir and Miss Catherine?"

"Yes, I agree Ashe. Wonderful idea."

"…Can we bury him first?"

"Sure, Ashe. Take your time."

* * *

"WHAT?! A plot to assassinate the Archbishop?! Are you sure?"

Shamir grimaced as she read over the letter that Ashe had handed to her earlier. "There's no mistaking it Seteth. Plans, times, everything. It appears that Lord Lonato did not act alone in this. Clearly there are people who wish to have Lady Rhea and the Central Church in ruins."

Seteth sighed heavily rubbing his bearded chin in thought. It had been a couple of hours since the battle had ended, and Seteth had more questions than answers at this point. More so about that Byleth woman than anything else. Right now, everyone had set up camp so that the group could rest and the injured could get tended to.

But this was not something that he needed right now. He sat in front of the fire that had been made as the glow enveloped his face. "May I see the plans?"

"Of course."

Shamir handed over the plans as Jeralt had arrived, sighing loudly. "I've managed to calm my students down. Though I think Dorothea will need to have some counselling sessions. Seems the act of killing was too much for her."

"What about Edelgard and Dimitri?" Shamir asked, rubbing her arms to keep herself warm and wishing that she had a cup of tea right now.

Jeralt just shook his head and scratched his head. "Edelgard will be on a cane for the remaining future. Hopefully she will be well enough to keep up with some aspects of her training. Dimitri has been ordered to take it easy too, which means no rough training for him either. Luckily, there have not been much damage to any other students."

Shamir nodded to herself and sat down beside the fire. "What about Catherine?"

"Awww is someone worried about me?"

The Mercenary grunted in annoyance feeling a hand ruffle her hair as Catherine had appeared, but with bandages around her side. Shamir just grunted. "No, just wanted to see if I had to attend your funeral is all."

"Come on Shamir. You're in charge of bringing home the big speech to mine."

"Yeah, whatever."

They all heard Seteth mumbling to himself as he read over the plans and scratched his head. "This doesn't make any sense. The plans seem impossible to achieve. On the Rite of the Goddess Rebirth?"

He then sighed and put the plans in his jacket pocket. "But nonetheless, a threat to the Archbishop must be taken seriously, no matter how absurd the plan is."

"You can count on me." Catherine said, before hissing in pain while clutching her side. "Just… give me a bit to recover."

"That reminds me, where's Flayn?" Shamir asked, as she noticed the girl not by Seteth's side as she usually is.

"Oh, she has gone to help with healing Edelgard and Dimitri."

Jeralt was staring at him, and folded his arms. "I wanna ask you something. Why do you refuse to let Flayn fight?"

A cold tension ran through the air as Seteth stared. "I beg your pardon?"

"Last month, Flayn asked if she could learn how to use Ki and you turned her down. I felt her power when she got annoyed. It was wild, fluctuating. Surely she's fought before?"

"I-I do not see how that is any of your-"

"Because I know what it's like to have a kid with unbelievable power. So I ask again, why doesn't she fight?"

Shamir and Catherine felt uncomfortable being in the middle of this conversation. They felt like two kids watching their parents fight. But Seteth sighed again and placed his hands on his lap.

"You are correct. Flayn does have extraordinary power. And she has fought before. She's very good at it."

He then looked over in the distance to see Flayn chatting with Edelgard while using healing magic on her leg. "However, she cannot control this power. It's unknown why, but there's too much for her to handle. The last time she was in battle, she almost lost herself to it."

"It was at that moment, that I decided for her to never fight again. It's for her own safety as well as others."

"Little Flayn? Fighting? Jeez, that's not something that I would believe, she's such a gentle girl." Catherine said, having sat down on a log beside Shamir while Seteth told this story. "I mean, she's a little odd sometimes. But man, I wouldn't have imagined her in a battlefield. Couldn't you try helping her control it?"

Seteth just shook his head. "I tried, once upon a time, but it's too much for me to handle. I still bear a nasty scar on my chest from where she struck me. As far as I am concerned, she will not see a battlefield again."

"You know that won't last forever."

Everyone turned to Jeralt who still had his arms crossed. "Sooner or later, she will have to fight. And she won't have you there to protect her."

"Believe me Sir Jeralt, I am more than aware of that fact. That's why we went to Garreg Mach. It's the safest place for her."

Jeralt just grunted and closed his eyes. Catherine decided to change the subject. "So where's Byleth? I would've thought she'd be here with her dad."

"She's sleeping." Both Jeralt and Shamir said at the same time, with the former looking surprised and looking at the Mercenary.

"Full moon." Shamir explained, as she took off her gloves. "She always goes to sleep on a full moon."

"Oh yeah, that moon monster tale." Catherine said, looking up at the moon. "Always go to bed before the full moon rises or else the monster will get you. Strange how you follow that old wives tale."

"It isn't a tale. It's real." Jeralt quickly said, causing the group to look at him again. "Byleth and I encountered the beast before. We had to drive it back, but she got knocked out pretty quickly so it was up to me."

Seteth had a deep frown going on as he remembered something Jeralt said.

* * *

" _She must never look at the full moon. No matter what."_

* * *

 _'Could it be that… no don't be silly Seteth, that is highly unlikely. There's never been a species here that turns into mindless beasts._ '

"Quite a fight that must have been." Shamir said. "Hopefully the beast doesn't show up anytime soon."

"Well, we can only hope." Jeralt grunted, closing his eyes again.

* * *

"So what is the Empire like?" Flayn asked, as Edelgard watched her use magic. "It has been such an age since I have been there."

To some, Flayn may look like a naïve young girl, but Edelgard knew the truth. She knew exactly who Flayn was. Not only that, she knew who Seteth and even Rhea were. They were Nabateans. A species who secretly wish to rule over humanity behind the guise of the Church. She knows that they have been ruling Fódlan for many years at this point, and it honestly sickened her to her core.

There was a huge reason why she hated them. The reason being that they didn't even try to save her when she was in that awful place. The place that killed her siblings and turned her into what she is today. And Rhea just sat by and did nothing. That was a big reason on why she wished to unite Fódlan and disband the Church. So she can get rid of these false rulers and make it so no child suffered the way that she did.

…But one thing rubbed her the wrong way. Her allies. The Ones Who Slither in the Dark. They tell her these facts about the Nabateans. And the Empire archives detail about how the Liberation King was a hero who was murdered by Seiros and her siblings.

And yet, when she looked at Flayn tending to her leg and talking… this wasn't the face of a murderer, or a power hungry beast. Either she put in a very convincing act or…

"AAAGH!" Edelgard growled, gritting her teeth as fiery hot pain shot up and down her ankle.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Flayn asked as she was a little too hasty with the flow of magic. But Edelgard just shook her head in return.

"It's okay. I was just surprised. That's all."

"If you are sure." Flayn replied, keeping her head down after that and focused on healing and left Edelgard to her thoughts once again.

Then there was Lonato. She wasn't a fool, she knew exactly how he got that power. It was obvious that her 'uncle' paid him a visit. And on top of that, she overheard the plans to assassinate Rhea. Just what we're they thinking? It was way too early to try something like that!

"Okay, that should do for now!"

She turned to Flayn who had a smile on her face, and her hands on her lap. "It hasn't fully healed, but at least you can sleep soundly tonight without the pain keeping you up."

This just got more and more confusing for Edelgard. The Empires books spoke of Saint Cethleann during the war. A mindless beast who destroyed everything in her path. Who had no empathy for human life. Who had endless amounts of power.

But this wasn't a mindless beast. This was a girl who healed her without any need to. Was this truly the one that they described? Edelgard watched as Flayn tore off a part of her sleeve and gently tightened it to her ankle to act as a sort of brace. That's when Edelgard noticed her bare arm.

Scars. Endless amounts. And they didn't look fresh either. She had to ask, she had to know.

"Have you ever fought in a battle Flayn?"

Surprise was on the girls face as she wasn't expecting that question. But she then noticed the scars on her arm and rubbed it, realising why she asked. "I… I did one time. W-We we were defending against bandits who invaded our village."

A lie. Edelgard knew that she was lying. Of course she was, they all lie at the end of the day.

"But… no you wouldn't understand."

This gave Edelgard pause. This was new entirely. "Understand what?"

Flayn gripped at her other sleeve and tugged on it. "Have you ever had an ability inside you that people claim is good? That make you a strong ally? But you're afraid of using that thing because you can't control it and it only hurts those you love?"

This was very confusing to Edelgard now as she tilted her head. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"N-Nevermind! Forget I said anything!"

Edelgard watched as Flayn ran off and she slowly looked at the makeshift brace on her ankle. Her eyes narrowed and she looked up at the sky. They were wrong. That wasn't a mindless murderer. That was a girl who is afraid of hurting others. Perhaps she could relate to Flayn in a way. Both are held down by their past. But there's one thing Edelgard knows for certain. She needs more information. And she will do it her way.

"Lady Edelgard."

She looked up to see Hubert bowing to her. She nodded in return. And that's when she had an idea. "Hubert, I have a plan."

"Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"Later. I'm afraid you're not going to like it."

* * *

"Annette, I am okay."

"Oh no you don't mister! The healers said to rest!"

Dimitri sighed as he leaned against a tree, sitting down. He wanted to train, as he couldn't get those images of the dead soldiers and civilians out of his head. But Annette wasn't budging on this, so he had to sit and rest.

Today brought up too many bad memories for him today. The endless amounts of dead bodies, the torn up landscape. It hit too close to the event that had changed him.

Worse of all, he thought that he could change what happened today. He looked down at his broken wrist and realised just how far he had to go. He was nowhere near ready. None of them were.

Dimitri then shook his head and sighed. Of course they weren't ready, he wasn't a fool. It's only been a few months since they started the training. While they have all shown promise in advancing their power, it was clear in the power gap between themselves and their Ki Professor.

He looked over to Dorothea who was hugging her legs and burying her face in them. Poor girl. As far as he knew, this was her first time actually fighting. She wasn't with his team when they went to Zanado, and so this must have been her first time taking a life.

Dimitri felt sorry for her. While they weren't close, in fact he hardly spoke to her, he knew that she was a kind girl. That's when they all heard footsteps and saw Jeralt there with them.

The Blade Breaker knew of the tense air around the students. He honestly couldn't blame them at all, as this was something entirely out of their league. Not to mention they were forced to kill people.

A heavy sigh came out of him as he began speaking. "I know what you are all thinking. This doesn't feel like the right thing to do."

"It's not."

Everyone looked over to Dorothea who lifted her head off of her knees to reveal tears. She had been crying. "You're damn right it wasn't. They were people with families and friends! Some of them hadn't picked up weapons! And they… and I…"

She stood up and started stomping towards Jeralt who made no move to argue. He just allowed her to let out her pent up emotions. "How can you be okay with this? How can the Church allow the killings of innocent people?"

Everyone just watched in a tense silence as Dorothea started thumping Jeralt's chest. It didn't hurt him at all, but it at least seemed to be helping her take out her frustrations. "Why did we do it?! Why couldn't we have tried speaking to them?! Why? Why…"

There were no more words as Dorothea slowly slid down to her knees and cried into her hands. Manuela appeared from behind and placed her hands on the songstress's shoulders. "Come my dear, you need rest-"

"No!" Dorothea snapped. "I want to know how you allowed this to happen!"

"I agree." Ferdinand quietly said. "I know that fighting is inevitable. But this? Not only were there innocent people, but also we were in a battle we stood no chance in. If it wasn't for Miss Byleth…"

"So I ask again, Professor." Dorothea said standing up. "Why couldn't we have reasoned with Lord Lonato?"

"Because there was no point."

The group all turned towards Ashe who had been quietly playing with a twig and listening in. "That man, was not my father. I don't know why, but he had gone too far. I tried reasoning with him and… well you all saw how that ended."

"It's what happens." Jeralt said. "There are times where you just can't reason with people. And those people weren't innocent at all. They chose to take up arms and fight."

"Are you insane?!" Dimitri yelled, now trying to stand up as Annette tried keeping him down but he was way stronger than her. "Those weren't just knights or soldiers! They were fathers and sons! We shouldn't have killed them, we should've found another way!"

But then he bowed his head and sighed. "I am sorry Professor Jeralt… it's not fair to blame you for the circumstances."

"I'm sorry too Professor." Dorothea whispered. "It's just… not fair…"

"I get it." Jeralt said. "You kids are all young, and think we could've done things differently. But the fact is that if we didn't do this, more civilians would've died."

"I suppose my mind understands that… but my heart…"

"Look kids. This is the real world. Now if this is too much for you, you can just head back to where you cane from. We have no use for hesitation on the battlefield, because that can get yourself or others killed."

Nobody said anything as Dorothea wiped her tears. "I'm not going anywhere. I might not like it but… I want to protect you all."

"I too, wish to stay." Dimitri declared. "I have my reasons for coming here."

Jeralt nodded. "Good. I know it's a heavy burden to bear, but hold onto that feeling. It's what makes us all human. If you feel nothing when killing, then you've lost your way. Get some rest guys."

The students all nodded while looking down as as Jeralt turned around to keep watch for unwelcome company. Manuela helped up Dorothea to get her to her tent. Claude had been listening but chose to not say anything. He wasn't a fool. He knew today was a kill or be killed situation. But there was nothing that could be said that would make anyone's heart lighter. But he could try to lift their spirits.

He then stood up and addressed his fellow Ki students. "Let's take this is an opportunity to better ourselves. Once Dimitri and Princess have healed up, then we will train harder."

"Yes." Ashe said, standing up. "So we can protect more lives."

That's when he noticed them staring at him as he blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh um, the Professor offered me a place to train with you guys."

"See, look at that! Things are already looking up." Claude smiled slinging an arm around Ashe. "We have a new training buddy."

"Are you sure Ashe?" Dimitri asked. "It will not be an easy task."

"I know. But I wish to use that power to help others."

"I think it is a wonderful idea." Edelgard said, nodding her head. "The greater our numbers, the easier our tasks will be."

"I suppose you are right." Dimitri said, before smiling at his classmate. "Very well Ashe, we will be happy to give you a head start upon our return to the Monastery."

"Thank you, your Highness." Ashe whispered bowing.

Jeralt smiled in the distance as he heard them. But now that gave way to other thoughts. Thoughts of back when he was a Captain. Those robed figures that attacked them…

"Thinking about how Lonato got that power?"

He turned around to see Shamir walking up to him, with a hand on her hip. "Yes. I feel that we are in the middle of a much larger conspiracy. There's too many coincidences going about."

"Well, judging by Byleth's fight, she seems to have gotten much stronger to keep up."

"Yes. But we shouldn't rest so easy." Jeralt said. "They're planning something, with that assassination letter. It's too sloppy. Something is up."

"What are you thinking?" Shamir asked.

"I'm not sure yet… we need to wait until we are back at the Monastery. Perhaps we can figure out something once we're back."

Shamir nodded as she turned away. "Get some rest Jeralt. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I will."

She smiled lightly and walked away as Jeralt sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "Sitri… maybe you could make more sense of it than I can… of all the times I need you…"

* * *

"What?! How could Lonato have been defeated?!"

Thales stood up in anger as the robed figure trembled before him. "It was the Monkey Girl my Lord. She defeated him. Her power soared to unbelievable heights."

He sat down on his throne and placed a hand on his chin. "This is not good. If she is getting this strong already… but how? How is she doing this?"

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors to the room were flung open.

"My Lord! We have made progress!" A scientist yelled sprinting in from the doors as Thales prompted her to continue as she presented a device from a box. She pulled her hood down and placed it on her ear and pressed a button. It took a few seconds, but a purple wall of magic covered her left eye and numbers appeared.

"We have succeeded in reverse engineering those Scouters that the pods database spoke of. By your order my Lord, we can mass produce them to give to all our allies!"

"…Yes. Very good. You have done well." Thales said, smirking. "And how goes the project?"

A look of fear crossed over the scientists face as she slowly took off the Scouter. "W-Well, we have started pumping in the energy of the crystals into his coffin. Unfortunately it'll take years to get him to the level of your satisfaction."

"That is okay. After all, he is merely a late stage plan. With that power pumping through his veins, he will reduce Fódlan to nothing but ashes. And the descendants of Sothis will watch helpless as he does so."

He then turned around to address a girl who stepped out of the shadows. "Kronya. You are ready for your mission in the Alliance?"

Kronya grinned madly in return and clapped her hands. "Oh yes! I cannot wait! When can I get a hold on those toys you've made?"

"Your Crystal isn't ready yet. But for this mission, you will not need it. Your orders are simple, kill Holst Goneril. His death will prompt chaos within the Alliance."

"Aye, aye!" Kronya grinned giving a salute as she skipped through the doors to make preparations.

"Now all that's left to sort out is Edelgard. She has been very difficult as of late. She has refused to give the Death Knight to us…"

That's when he heard a teleportation spell activate behind him. He turned around and saw Hubert standing there as Thales raised an eyebrow, recognising him. "Ah yes. Edelgards vassal. Has she sent you with an answer?"

"Lady Edelgard has offered a compromise. But first, she wishes to know why you sent a sloppy plan to assassinate the Archbishop."

Thales just chuckled mildly and shook his head. "Come now. Do you honestly believe that we would do something like that? It's obviously a distraction. We plan to get into the Holy Mausoleum and take the remains of Seiros of course."

"I see." Hubert mused placing a hand on his chin, trying to contain his anger at the mere sight of Thales. "So it's to space out the knights in one place."

"That is correct. But now that I have answered her question, how about you answer mine. What is this compromise?"

Hubert bit his cheek in an attempt to surprise a growl and placed his hands behind his back. "She is willing to give you the Death Knight for a trial period in order to assist with this mission. She isn't ready with a full answer. But in an attempt to place faith."

He then got on one knee and bowed his head. "She has offered my full services to you."

"Oh?" Thales said, raising an eyebrow. "This is certainly a strange outcome."

"She will have a full answer after your mission. But I hereby offer my full services to you… my Lord." Hubert said, struggling to contain the bile that rose from having to say those words.

Thales hummed and looked him over. "Yes. I am fully aware of you. Your father told me so much about you. Yes, loyal to a tee. Very well then, I accept her conditions. But you will be by my side during the month so I know there is no funny business."

Hubert clenched his fist but stiffly nodded. "Good boy. Now about your academy duties…"

"Lady Edelgard has a plan for that."

* * *

" _ **Huh? Where am I?"**_

_**Byleth was in a dark void right now, but this wasn't like when she was with Sothis. Nobody was around. It was just her surrounded in complete darkness.** _

" _ **Hello?! Sothis?! Are you there?! Anyone?!"**_

_**That's when the darkness melted away and she found herself in a field. The sky was gloomy and the air felt tense. She looked down to find a sword in her right hand. She held it in front of her face and observed it. It was such a strange design. She doesn't remember a sword like this. Wait, why does she have a sword?** _

_**She then heard the sound of boots approaching and turned to see an array of soldiers. From the looks of the insignia on their armour and shields they looked to be from…. The Empire? What in the world were the Empire doing here?** _

_**A row of mages summoned fireballs into their hands and sent it soaring into the air, striking down multiple soldiers from… the Kingdom?! And the Alliance?!** _

_**Byleth gasped as she saw a figure appear from the Kingdom side. "Dimitri?!"** _

_**Sure enough, this was the Prince of Faerghus alright. But he looked so unkempt and scruffy. Not to mention older. He also had an eyepatch covering his right eye as he held a Ki lance in his hand, looking around with a deep frown on his face. His face looked… manic. Obsessed. And he was staring at two figures as his face twisted while resting his lance on his shoulder. "Know that I will tear your heads from your shoulders. The dead must have their tribute."** _

_**Byleth was so confused. What happened to him? This was a far cry from the polite young man that she taught Ki to back at the Monastery. But then she saw someone walk out from the Alliance soldiers and she gasped seeing that it was Claude.** _

_**He had a more clean look to him which was far different from his current look. He was also older and he just looked around at the flames and destruction on the battlefield and shook his head. "As big class reunions go. This one's got to be the worst in history…"** _

_**Reunion? Byleth looked around, trying to make sense out of all of this and made her way over to Claude, who didn't seem to notice her. "Claude? What's going on? Claude, are you listening?!"** _

_**He then started moving forward and he passed right through Byleth, causing her to reel in shock. This wasn't real! Was she in a dream?** _

_**That's when she looked up on a hill and she saw Edelgard, stepping forward. She looked completely different from the girl she knows. She had horns in her air and had a cold look in her eyes as she stepped forward. "Years ago, we fought here as classmates."** _

_**Then her eyes turned sad as she averted her gaze. "But not today…" as soon as she finished her sentence, the soldiers around her drew their swords and the archers readied their bows.** _

" _ **Am I…. is this a vision?" Byleth muttered to herself as she looked at the sword in her hand. She looked at Dimitri who's aura around him built up and his face twisted into a snarl as he powered up and readied his lance before taking off into the air.**_

" _ **KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"**_

" _ **Just like when I touched his head…" Byleth whispered to herself as she realised what was happening. This was a vision! A vision of the future!**_

_**She turned to see Claude signalling his soldiers to charge as he roared before also taking off into the air.** _

" _ **And so we must fight on…" Edelgard whispered as she also powered up and flew into the air as the three leaders met each other in the middle of the air, about to strike.**_

_**But then everything froze at the moment of impact as Byleth saw the sword in her hand was gone.** _

" _ **This is what will happen… if you don't save them."**_

_**She heard a voice behind her and turned around only to step back in shock over what she saw.** _

_**It was her. Another Byleth! Only this one had mint green hair and eyes, and held that same sword in her hand and had a sorrowful look on her face as she looked around. Not only was her hair different, but she had on black loose pants as well as a blue top with pink accents. A modified version of her current outfit.** _

" _ **This isn't the first time. And if you don't fix this, it won't be the last."**_

" _ **W-Who are you? What's happening?"**_

" _ **I'm you. A future version of you." Future Byleth stated. "And this is a future vision. But this isn't the bad fate that causes the cycle to start over again."**_

" _ **Then… what is the bad fate?"**_

" _ **You've met them before. In that little town, in Castle Gaspard. They are far more powerful than you can imagine."**_

_**Future Byleth sat down on a rock and looked into the sky. She looked so tired, as Byleth noticed her future self was panting slightly. Like she was doing something before coming here. "This. This is the future that awaits you so far. You've given them power, but they're using it against one another."** _

" _ **You need to get them to work together. It's the only way Fódlan can know peace. You need to break the cycle. Focus on Edelgard and Dimitri."**_

" _ **What? What are you talking about?"**_

_**Future Byleth was then thrown backwards by a mysterious force as her past self tried to help. But Future Byleth grunted and stood up, readying her blade. "It's all I can say for now. Break the cycle. Please. Remember what I said."** _

_**The scenery started fizzing away as Byleth tried to run towards her future self. "No! Wait! Stop! Come back!"** _

* * *

' _Would you wake up! You are having a nightmare!_ ' Sothis yelled as she tried shaking Byleth awake. But she couldn't touch her physical form as Byleth kept on tossing and turning.

"No… come back… break the cycle…"

Byleth then sat up quickly and woke up, panting heavily in a cold sweat.

' _Finally! I was worried about you! What happened to you?!_ '

The mercenary was about to tell her what, but couldn't bring the words out. It was all foggy to her now as she rubbed her head. "Visions… future visions…"

' _Visions?_ ' Sothis asked, tilting her head. ' _Both sides are time are being revealed to you, after all. What did they speak of?_ '

"War… Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude fighting each other. All I remember is to focus on Edelgard and Dimitri. To break the cycle."

' _War? Now that's a concerning thought._ ' Sothis said to herself rubbing her chin. ' _Then it is a good thing that you are receiving these visions. Perhaps we can use them to our advantage. Is there anything else?_ '

"I'm afraid not… but I know what I must do." Byleth muttered standing up. "I need to get them to work together."

' _Excellent idea. You already suggested counselling sessions, so that may be a start._ '

Suddenly, she heard a noise from outside. It was Hanneman. "Miss Byleth, we are starting to head out now."

"Okay be out in a second…" Byleth then remembered something he asked of her last month. "Did you see anything about a Crest?"

"Oh, why yes I did!" Hanneman voice spoke outside the tent, seeming rather excited. "It's quite fascinating! I theorise that you have a Crest that has been lost to time, I can show you my findings if you wish! Though I would ask for further research as I only got a glimpse during your battle!"

"…Yes. I would like that. Perhaps you can join me for tea upon our return."

"I humbly accept Miss Byleth! Now we must prepare!"

Byleth nodded and looked at her hands, before clenching them together. She will make a mental note to talk to Edelgard and Dimitri later this month. She will change the future. She just needs to know how.

' _I will challenge their fates._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's another chapter finished! I'm going to be honest, I think I'm spreading myself too thin, trying to make sure everyone in the cast gets their turn in the spotlight. But I think I need to treat this like a route in Three Houses. We will be focusing on Byleth and the Ki Squad from now on. I do have plans for missions. Speaking of which, I can't keep on calling them Ki Squad. I have an idea on what to call them, but would you guys like to suggest names too? You're probably more creative than I.
> 
> Now, Flayn is becoming an interesting case. She's like an existing Dragonball character in which she has a power that she cannot control. Maybe she'll learn how to do it later down the line.
> 
> And now we have a huge plot point. Byleth's visions. Like I said, I'm aiming for a happily ever after route, and I figure that a future version of Byleth could warn her past self about two of our Lords and their mindsets. Think Byleth will succeed? I did consider a student coming from the future to help but I think that would take away from the story. What do you guys think, you want a future student?
> 
> Also yes, Future Byleth has fused with Sothis. I am thinking maybe that's a bad thing? Perhaps it stinted her Saiyan side so she can't reach her potential.
> 
> Unfortunately, Sitri is now gone. But fear not, we will still have some flashback scenarios involving other characters. I have one for Sothis on my plans in a way to connect her with the Dragonball lore.
> 
> So yeah, Ashe is now part of the squad. No more Blue Lions members, we've filled that quota. That means one left from Golden Deer and one from Black Eagles left.
> 
> As you all know, Byleth is half Saiyan. Which means she gets rage boosts too. (Which maybe Goten and Trunks should've gotten. No I'm not bitter.) I'm trying a thing where her Saiyan side is fighting with the human side that's affected emotionally by the Crest Stone.
> 
> Join me next time, where we are doing an interval chapter in establishing relationships and training more, as well as setting up the coming arcs.
> 
> See you next time! And please let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

Part 1: White Clouds

A Moment to Rest

" _Mmmmm… this tea is lovely. You say that the humans that live on that world have different kinds of this stuff? You must try and send some here."_

_In an unknown part of the universe, two figures were sat at a table. Or rather, one of them was as the other was simply too big to sit on a chair and was laying in the grass. The smaller figure sipped at her cup and sighed happily at the warmth going through her. They were in a place that had green skies in contrast to the familiar blue most worlds like Fódlan were used to, and a multitude of different planets in sight. Their tea seat and table sat on a large patch of grass underneath them, and there was a marble path behind them that lead to a building that was a very important place for the smaller figure._

_Just next to them was a little pond that hosted a series of fish which were slowly swimming around and a set of bushes were scattered around the place to spruce up the scenery._

" _ **They are certainly a unique bunch of creatures. I even adopted a form to better live among them."**_ _The large creature said, lapping away at the liquid in her cup with difficulty. The other figure tilted her head and brought her cup to her lips again._

" _Oh? Care to show me? Perhaps you can enjoy the tea better if you're not all big and scaly, don't you think Sothis?"_

_The figure now revealed to be Sothis nodded and closed her eyes before being enveloped in a green light and slowly started shrinking down to her human form. She opened her eyes and placed her hands on her hips smiling at her friend who clapped in glee._

" _Oh, you look so adorable! Do a spin for us please?"_

_Sothis blushed slightly but nodded and slowly did a twirl to show off her human form before sitting down on the chair and picked up the cup and sipped on the tea. Her friend then spoke up again._

" _Now Sothis, how are you getting on with your time manipulation? Last time we spoke, I believe you were just starting out on rewinding time."_

_Sothis set down her cup and huffed, placing her elbows on the table and pressing her hands against her face. "I can only do a couple of charges. And even then, it is only a couple of seconds at a time. I don't think I can get far on my own. Perhaps you can teach me more on time manipulation?"_

_For some reason, the figure took offence to that and gasped in shock, placing a hand on her chest._

" _Do you think that just because my job involves time, that I just teach anyone how to use it all willy nilly?" The figure yelled, crossing her arms and turning her nose up into the air. "I'll have you know, that I'm a very busy lady and I don't have time to just teach! You should count your lucky stars that I even taught you the basics! It is very difficult maintaining time throughout the universe you know!"_

_Sothis was sinking lower and lower into her chair as the figure was standing on the table, bowing down so their noses touched. "I was only asking…"_

" _Oh, but you're right." The figure then sighed slumping back in her chair. "It took me a million years to master time, and yet I can barely make time for myself! I had to clear so many years of work off just to share tea with you. It's not fair on you, especially when you're so weak…"_

" _What does my strength have to do with anything?!" Sothis yelled, standing up. "I can pick up buildings in my draco form with no issue!"_

" _I'm not talking about your physical strength. Though, if you want my opinion-"_

_Sothis glared at her bringing the cup up to her lips. "-Which I don't."_

"… _All I'm saying is maybe ease off on the cakes."_

_The figure then sat back up and clapped her hands together. "But regardless, I'm talking about your mental strength. Managing time itself can be strenuous on the mind, so you need to work on training your mind. But doing it by yourself will be such a drag… hmmm… who can help you…"_

_She clicked her fingers together and smiled. "I got it! Someone that can train you both physically and mentally! I just need to contact some people, just give me some time okay?"_

_Sothis just watched her run off and looked at her now empty cup. Her friend scared her sometimes. She looked at her surroundings and wonder how she can stay sane during her tasks. Though the various planets in the sky had a sense of beauty to them. So many worlds, yet her friends job was here._

" _Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"_

_She then looked up to see a bird perched on top of a tree and she froze before bowing down to it. "I just wanted to know how to train with time! I'm awfully sorry!"_

" _Tooooooo!"_

" _I know, I shouldn't disturb her with her tasks, but she needs a break every so often! Surely you understand?"_

_That's when the figure stomped over and flailed her arms. "Hey you big lug! Leave her alone, she's not hurting anyone! It's nice to have company you know! It's already a pain that you're the only thing that I can talk to!"_

_She then turned to Sothis and smiled, placing her hand on her hips. "Okay, just follow me. I managed to pull some strings and got you someone who will be willing to train you. Provided you pass a test of course."_

_The figure then placed her hand on Sothis's shoulder and the scenery completely changed around her. They were now in a strange world. The skies were purple now, and beneath them was a layer of yellow clouds. But her friend happily walked forward dragging Sothis to a building._

* * *

…

" _Okay, we should be almost there." The figure exclaimed dragging Sothis over to a room where a giant desk lay, and a giant creature in a suit sat behind it skimming through documents. "Excuse me! I have-"_

" _Kindly wait your turn!" The creature boomed out as he flipped through pages. "I have a lot of dead people to sort through and I'm already behind."_

_The figure narrowed her eyes as Sothis watched her jump up onto the desk and glared at the beast. "Do you have any idea who I am?"_

" _I don't care who-" the big red creatures face turned into one of horror as he fell out of his chair. "S-Supreme Kai of Time! F-Forgive my disrespect!"_

" _Chronoa is everything okay?" Sothis asked which shocked the creature even more._

" _C-Chronoa?"_

_The figure now revealed to be Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, folded her arms and huffed. "You will address me by my title. Now, I informed you of Sothis taking the challenge did I not? Then get to it, and I'll forget about this moment of disrespect."_

" _O-O-Of course! R-Right away! I'll get to it immediately!" The creature stammered before calling over a blue goblin like creature who rushed over and saluted._

_Chronoa smiled to herself and hopped back down to address Sothis. "Just follow the attendant over there, and he will lead you to where you need to go."_

_Sothis however, was a little sad. "I'm not… going to see you for a while am I?"_

_Chronoa shared her sad look and bowed her head. "I'm afraid that I have my responsibilities. And ironically, managing the flow of time takes away all my free time. But I will always be watching over you, my friend. And I know you will learn how to excel at perfecting your time powers."_

_Sothis nodded slowly and the two shared a long hug as both of them didn't want Chronoa to go. But eventually, they separated as Chronoa stepped back. "You will return to Fódlan as a much better Nabatean. Trust me. Goodbye."_

_With that, Chronoa disappeared from sight and now Sothis was left alone. She sighed wearily and slowly walked towards the attendant who lead her to a doorway with the massive creature cowering still at her. But once he realised that he was safe, he went back to his documents and sighed. "Purgatory… heaven…"_

" _Okay madam." The attendant explained while the two walked away to a long winding pathway in front of them as he pointed forward. "You just keep walking along this path until you reach the end. Though I'd advise you to be careful, especially since you're not dead. If you fall down to HFIL, you won't be able to leave."_

_Sothis nodded as the attendant allowed her to pass as she took in a deep breath. Chronoa did so much for her, so in return. She will honour her by learning how to get stronger. With one last look behind her, Sothis ran forward towards the long winding path._

* * *

…

"Is everything okay Sothis?"

Sothis blinked as she realised that Byleth had been trying to talk to her for a couple of minutes but she had been non responsive. ' _I'm sorry… I think I was recalling a distant memory._ '

"Really? What was it about?"

' _I'm not sure… I remember a person. I believe that she and I were very good friends. She even helped me with my time powers. But now her name is slipping but I remember she's a very important person._ '

"I see…" Byleth said while walking behind the group. They were almost back at the Monastery which she was honestly grateful for. It was high time everybody had a good rest to recover and gather their bearings. Especially Edelgard and Dimitri, with the latter being forced to lie on the stretcher despite his protests.

"I am telling you, my legs still work! I can walk fine!"

"Please your Highness, you must rest." Ashe insisted with Annette keeping him in place using a binding spell.

"Professor Manuela did order you to stay on the stretcher I'm afraid."

Dimitri sighed heavily but soon relented as he looked over at Edelgard who was busy talking to Dorothea. It seemed that both girls were talking to get their minds off of the recent events that hat happened. He could relate to them, but he fears that this is something that will stay with them forever. He then turned over to see Claude walking next to him.

"Claude, perhaps you can see reason? I should be allowed to walk!"

"Sorry your Majesty." Claude grinned with his hands behind his head. "Doctors orders."

Shamir then noticed Byleth was by herself and slowed down a little just so she can talk. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm in much better shape than last time, that's for sure." Byleth replied making Shamir smirk a little.

"Good. I like to see it that way. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something about our weighted clothing."

Byleth blinked, not expecting Shamir to have a question, but wouldn't want to disappoint. "What is it?"

"Isn't it a little impractical to strip down to your bare essentials? I mean, can't you turn them off?"

"That's a good question." Byleth said, placing a hand on her cheek. "Unfortunately, the spell only works one way. It's for prisoners so the only way to get rid of them is to put different clothing on. Though I have been thinking of updating my wardrobe lately?"

"Oh? How so?"

"Just something more loose fitting to fight in. I like my current outfit, don't get me wrong. But I think in the future, I need something more practical to get off when I need to. Maybe just swap out my stockings and shorts."

"Is that so?" Shamir asked. "In that case, I'll come with you to the market tomorrow, and we will see what we can get you."

Byleth smirked and nodded in return. But now Shamir was thinking of something else. That final attack that Byleth pulled off. That was the first time she saw pure anger come from her friend. The girl showed the bare minimum of emotion unless food or fighting was involved. Not only that, she felt her head hurting at the amount of power she displayed. Perhaps it's something she should ask her another time.

"Garreg Mach Monastery ahead!" A knight yelled as the party felt a little relived to see it. But Shamir then noticed that same crater as before and frowned slightly. She remembered the story that Alois told her back when she joined the Knights of Seiros.

* * *

" _Ah yes! Some dastardly fiends attempted to end the Archbishops life by using bombs! But in the end, they only detonated themselves in the end! How foolish!"_

* * *

Shamir believed that story back then. But after meeting her friend and being trained in Ki, as well as seeing the power that Byleth showed, she only grew suspicious at that story. She made a mental note to ask Alois about that later on. She had so many questions lately, and not enough answers.

"I feel like I'm getting used to the weight of these clothes!" Lysithea said, rotating her arms as there was no longer any struggles.

"Good." Byleth said walking up to her. "Because we're going to be making heavier clothes for you."

Lysithea froze at that as well as everybody else. Heavier clothing? Surely she was joking? But Byleth just gave a small smile and walked ahead to join her father as Shamir ruffled the girls head.

"Tough break."

Lysithea then pushed Shamir's hand away and stomped towards Leonie, whining loudly. "I am going to die if this gets heavier."

"Really? Have you seen yourself lately?" Leonie asked, pulling up Lysithea's sleeve revealing her muscular arms. "You've got stronger arms than Hilda at this point. And you just said that you've gotten used to the weight. That means it's working."

"I guess…" Lysithea mumbled pulling her sleeve back down and looking ahead at Byleth. "It's scary though. Every time I feel like I'm getting stronger, Professor Byleth always shows just how much I've yet to improve upon."

Leonie smiled slightly and agreed. Lysithea turned towards Leonie. "You said you met her and Professor Jeralt before right? What were they like?"

"Hmmm… Captain Jeralt was very heroic." Leonie replied smiling widely. "He saved my village from a group of bandits. He taught me how to fight as well. Though Byleth… she was quiet. Spent most of her time hunting, fishing and eating. Not that she was reclusive, she talked to me if I approached her. But she never went out of her way to meet people."

"Well it can't be easy being her." Claude said, as both girls turned to him. "A complete mystery. She has a tail, she has an ungodly amount of power. Maybe everything around her is fragile, like she's afraid she will break something, or someone."

"I don't want to think about being on the receiving end of a full on attack from her." Lysithea muttered taking a piece of cake out of her pocket and munching on it. She then noticed the weird looks her classmates gave her and blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would you care for some pocket cake?"

"…No thanks. You can keep it." Leonie said, finding her classmate a little strange when it came to sweets.

Finally, the group all found their way into the Monastery, with Manuela escorting the guards carrying Dimitri, Edelgard and Catherine to the infirmary. Byleth sighed slightly, thankful that they weren't too injured. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if they died on her watch.

"Right brats." Jeralt's gruff voice sounded as he addressed the Black Eagles. "I'm giving you the week off. I know it was a lot to take in this time around, so I won't burden you with schoolwork. Take this time to pull yourselves together and as for Caspar and Petra, Byleth will be resuming your training tomorrow. Unfortunately Edelgard has to miss out, but we will find an alternative for her."

The class all nodded before Jeralt turned to Byleth. "We best report to Lady Rhea. Seteth has already informed her of the letter. Likely scenario, we will have you and the brats you're teaching to do guard duty."

Byleth nodded while following her father to the audience chamber. But she felt the need to ask him questions. "Dad… about what happened before-"

"I'm afraid you won't get much answers from me kid." Jeralt said, staring ahead as they walked up the steps. "Your mother was powerful sure, but I never saw her do something like that. This might be a thing only unique to you."

That didn't make Byleth any better. She felt like she was slipping further and further away from normality and worse of all, leaving everyone behind. As if sensing her thoughts, Jeralt sighed and stopped. "I know it's hard kid. You don't know how badly I want to tell you everything. But your mother asked me to only give you a little information at a time so that it doesn't overwhelm you. I promise, you will know everything soon. But unfortunately, there will still be a big mystery surrounding you as there will still be questions only your mother would know."

"I know dad." Byleth replied as her tail coiled around her waist again. A nervous habit that developed. "It's just frustrating. I know that everyone is afraid of me after seeing that…"

"It was just a shock Byleth." Jeralt said, looking at her. "We all know you wouldn't hurt anyone unless they were threatening your loved ones. You've got a good heart kid."

"Even if it doesn't beat." Byleth mumbled which caused Jeralt's face to harden.

"That, I would love to know the answer to as much as you do."

He then smiled and ruffled her hair causing her to smile lightly which honestly gave him great joy. It was such a wonderful sight to actually see her smile outside of battle. A smile when he didn't have a plate of food on hand for her. This was directed towards him.

"Cheer up kid. I don't think Lady Rhea will like it if you came in looking all sad."

"I've been keeping my guard up around her dad." Byleth said looking towards the doors and keeping her voice low so the guards couldn't hear.

"…Good. Keep it that way. She's up to something and I don't know what."

With that, he opened the doors to the Audience Chamber to the sight of Rhea and Seteth whispering to one another. But once they caught sight of the father daughter duo, they quickly quieted down as Byleth and Jeralt stopped in front of her.

"I am glad to see you all have returned safely. The Goddess is gracious with her divine protection." Rhea said, smiling as she clasped her hands together. "But it was not only her divine protection that shielded you, was it? You are just as skilled as I had hoped. The way that you protected everyone and vanquished your foes is inspiring."

"Thank you Lady Rhea." Jeralt said, speaking for Byleth by which she was grateful. She didn't do too well on speaking formally and she didn't want to show disrespect. "Unfortunately, we suffered massive casualties among our ranks with my and Manuela's House Leaders in the infirmary."

"Yes." Rhea frowned, looking down. "It is unfortunate that our own students were injured like this. Though I do believe that if it was the students that didn't know Ki were hit by those attacks, then they would have been dead."

"Which is what I'm wanting to discuss with you." Jeralt said. "I fear that our enemies are getting stronger by the day, and I don't think it's safe to put my students in harms way when there are other qualified people to do it. I discussed this with Manuela and Hanneman on our journey back and they agree."

"Are you wishing for the Knights of Seiros to be involved?" Seteth asked, stepping forward. "Because I'm afraid that doing that will thin our ranks-"

"You're mistaking." Jeralt grunted cutting Seteth off and turning to Byleth. "I'm talking about a task force involving Byleth, myself, Shamir and the students currently learning Ki. They have the potential to go against these foes when their training is complete. With your permission, I'd like to form this group with the sole intention of combating this threat."

Byleth raised her eyebrows in surprise at this. He didn't mention anything about this task force to her. And Seteth just narrowed his eyes. "That is quite simply an absurd idea. If it was just you two and Shamir then that would be understandable, but you mean to tell me you want to endanger students?"

That's when Byleth stepped forward, as if insulted by the notion that her students weren't ready. "They are still learning. And they managed to hold their own when I was separated from them at Castle Gaspard. But they are already more powerful than even your best knights minus Shamir."

Rhea pursed her lips in thought and turned to Jeralt. "Explain more about this task force."

"As I said, the task force involves combating this enemy. Whenever we hear a report on those evildoers we will go over and subdue them. I already talked about this to the other Professors and they are okay with that."

"…What will be the name of this task force?" Rhea asked as Jeralt looked over at her and smirked slightly.

"141."

Rhea nodded to herself and looked down, pondering her options. She doesn't wish to endanger the students by doing this. On the other hand, from what she heard at Castle Gaspard, they can't keep on relying on Byleth, Jeralt and Shamir. And as much as she wanted Byleth to stay here, out of harms way and not endanger her mother. That just wasn't an option. Finally, she nodded to the two.

"Very well. I shall grant this request for Task Force 141."

Seteth turned towards her in shock. "Rhea, you cannot be-"

"They are right Seteth. We need to combat this threat and those students are the only ones aside from those two and Shamir that are capable of doing so."

She then sighed and looked to Jeralt, a new thought entering her mind after being briefed by Catherine. "I understand that some of your students were… hesitant to be fighting militia. However, we must punish any sinner who may inflict harm upon believers, even if those sinners are civilians."

Both Byleth and Jeralt bit the inside of their cheek to avoid saying anything. That was something they both didn't agree with. Jeralt always hated the way that the church operated on things, whilst Byleth couldn't believe Rhea would try to rationalise killing people who were just protecting their Lord.

Rhea just continued on, not noticing their tensed postures. "I pray that the students learned a valuable lesson about the fate that awaits all who are foolish enough to point their blade towards the heavens."

Byleth's hands were behind her back, so Rhea and Seteth didn't notice her fists clenched tightly at what Rhea said. She was trying to use fear to keep people in check? That was not right at all. Even if Lonato tried to destroy the Central Church, you shouldn't use that to scare the others. She didn't notice her coat was billowing slightly as her power started increasing.

' _Keep your head on kid. Don't do something stupid._ '

Byleth turned to Jeralt, who was using telepathy to talk to her. She just nodded in return and blew out deep breathes to calm herself down. She wasn't used to anger, in fact most emotions were foreign to her. But he was right. She needed to control herself.

Seteth did sense the tension in the air, and decided to talk more about the report Byleth and Ashe found. "As you both know, found on Lonato's possession was a deplorable plot to target the Archbishop on the day of the Goddesses Rite of Rebirth. I looked over it and the plan seems unrealistic at best. But a threat is a threat. We must maintain constant vigilance."

He then turned to Byleth and nodded. "Originally, I was going to ask one of the houses to help with the security of the ritual. But if this unknown foe is connected to that plot, then we need to be ready for anything. I would instead like to request that Task Force 141 help instead."

"You can count on us." Byleth replied and Rhea smiled.

"That is most reassuring. You have my gratitude."

"The Rite of Rebirth is of paramount importance." Seteth explained. "It is when the Church of Seiros and its believers unite to pray for the return of the Goddess. The Archbishop and I will be confined to the Goddess Tower once the ritual begins."

"Of course, the knights will be on high alert as well, but there will not be enough of them to keep watch on every corner of the Monastery." He continued still keeping eye contact with Byleth.

But Seteth then sighed and shook his head. "I suppose it is a good thing that the Task Force has been assembled. The gravity of this situation requires that we be ready."

That's when Rhea spoke up to address the father daughter pair. "While there is no need to fear for my safety, we cannot turn a blind eye to those who would blaspheme so heinously."

"With any luck, this will all be for nought." Seteth said, before looking at the two directly. "Still, be on your guard."

Both Jeralt and Byleth bowed before turning to leave. But not before Seteth spoke again. "Oh and Byleth. Please try and come to my office today, I wish to speak with you."

Byleth slowly nodded and the doors slowly closed behind them as both let out a long breath and hunched over, exhausted from standing straight for so long. Jeralt scratched his head and made sure nobody was around. "Rhea… I don't know why you think that's the right way…"

"You don't agree dad?" Byleth asked, still a little angry at the suggestion that the students should be intimidated into submission.

"No way. But she's the Archbishop. So like it or not, we have to do what she says. Come to my quarters, I'm needing a drink."

"I might just do that too." Byleth mumbled following her dad. But then something else from the meeting came to mind. "Why didn't I know about this task force?"

Jeralt opened the door to his quarters and let his daughter inside before closing it behind him. "Well, it wasn't something I had planned from the start. It was while you were asleep that I thought that we need to keep on top of this threat. The whole case with the town you went to and the fight with Lonato caused me to think things differently. Do…. you like the name?"

Byleth then saw how nervous her dad looked and she nodded. "I like the name. Makes it seem… official, you know? I suppose we should let the students know about this."

"Yeah, we should. But first." Jeralt said, opening a bottle of spirits and pouring in two glasses and offered one to Byleth who gladly took it. He raised his glass and she mimicked his action.

"To 141."

Byleth gave one of her rare smiles and nodded. "To 141."

* * *

"Dimitri, if you don't stop trying to get out of bed I will bind you to it!"

Manuela sighed as she had to once again keep Dimitri in bed. For someone who was supposed to be the Prince of Faerghus he acted like such a child right now!

"But I must train!" Dimitri yelled, unintentionally coming off as whining. But Manuela would not budge.

"The more you resist, the longer you'll stay here."

He flopped onto his pillow with a loud groan, as he looked at his wrist which was in a cast. He felt like a complete fool, being overpowered like that. He should've thought more rationally and not just charge in. He needs to be better! He needs to be-

"Dimitri, you're giving me a headache."

He slowly turned to his left to see Edelgard in the bed next to him, but she had her leg in a cast that was currently suspended in the air. Dimitri suddenly felt really bad in that moment, he was complaining about not being able to train, but Edelgard didn't even have the ability to leave her bed. So he sheepishly relaxed and looked at his feet on the bed.

"I… I apologise. To both of you. I understand that I am not being fair."

"Good." Manuela said, carrying a tray with two glasses. "This is a medicine that will help boost your recovery period. From what I understood from Byleth, your Ki will help you heal as well. But this medicine will add on top of that."

Both the Nobles looked at the glasses being handed to them and Manuela continued. "Though it does have some side effects. It has Dagda berries inside of that which, while has healing properties, has some side effects that will make you feel strange."

Edelgard brought the glass over to her nose and sniffed it, before smiling lightly at it. "It has a wonderful smell."

Dimitri copied her actions and shared that smile. "Yes, it smells like blueberry pie."

Both then brought it to their lips and drank it all. But Edelgard recoiled at the taste and coughed in disgust. "Not blueberry pie…"

Manuela smirked to herself and left the room while Edelgard drank water to rid herself of the vile taste. But she then noticed how Dimitri hadn't reacted to the taste at all. "Is it good for you?"

"Hm? Oh no, I just cannot taste it."

Edelgard tilted her head as she stared at him. "You… cannot taste it?"

Dimitri sighed and looked back at her. "I'm afraid I cannot taste anything. Not for nine whole years. I can smell fine but taste has always eluded me."

"…Is it because of-"

"Yes. The Tragedy of Duscur."

Edelgard looked towards the ceiling and frowned to herself. That was something that always puzzled her. Why would the people of Duscur kill the king and queen? Her own mother. It didn't make sense. As far as she was aware from the books that she read as well as the word from other Nobles, the people of Duscur didn't hold anything against the Royal Family of Faerghus.

Wait a minute.

They couldn't.

' _Could they really stoop to that level?'_

Suddenly, she heard Dimitri yawn and turned towards him as he looked at her. "Can I… tell you a secret Edelgard? About why I chose to come here? To this Academy?"

"Of course. You can tell me anything." Edelgard said, also letting out a yawn as Dimitri looked at his broken wrist.

"I do not believe that the people of Duscur caused that tragedy. The ones who killed my father and my- OUR, mother. It was an outside force. I came to Garreg Mach to better myself so that I can kill them myself."

Edelgard's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this. Though she can't say that she wouldn't think the same way, if that happened to her. It's strange, lately she feels that she can talk to Dimitri about things. But also to Claude too and the rest of her classmates. And if her suspicions on who was truly involved was correct.

"Than allow me to help you kill them." Edelgard declared. "Together, myself, you and Claude. We will defeat them together."

Dimitri let out a few shaky breathes and smiled. "I thank you for that Edelgard. It's comforting to know I do not have to do this alone."

Edelgard smiled back. But then Dimitri noticed how she was silently giggling to herself and frowned in confusion. "Is there some kind of joke that I am not aware of?"

She nodded and looked over again. "The number twenty four."

Dimitri frowned at that. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to laugh. Both of them didn't understand what was so funny but then Dimitri spoke up.

"Hey Edelgard. What's funnier than twenty four?"

"What is it?" Edelgard giggled keeping her hands over her mouth.

"Twenty five."

Both of them burst out laughing at this as Manuela peered in through the door, smiling to herself. "It's always funny to see them under the effects."

"Wait Dimitri!" Edelgard yelled as the giggling slowed to a halt, and both of them felt very sluggish at this point. "We should… we should relinquish our titles! And… and start a tavern together! You and me!"

"That… sounds like an amazing idea!" Dimitri said as Edelgard lazily lifted a hand.

"And do you know what we will call it? Get ready. The Eagle and the Lion!"

Dimitri blinked at that name and nodded to himself. "That is… a great idea for a tavern!"

That's when Byleth saw Manuela peering in the medical wing after she heard the noises and went to investigate. "Are they okay Manuela?"

"Oh yes, it's just a side effect of the medicine that they're on." Manuela said, giggling. "A combination of being drunk and smoking Brigid herbs. They will be fine in a few hours."

"That's okay then." Byleth said, looking to Hanneman's office. "I should go and check on him with the progress of my Crest. I'll talk to them later."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just stay here and watch the show."

She quickly walked over to Hanneman's office and peered inside to see him hastily scribbling notes while looking over a machine which… looked like it had a strand of her hair.

'… _I'll just pretend I didn't see that._ '

"Ah, Miss Byleth, welcome!" Hanneman exclaimed. "A very fascinating case you are! I've done a lot of research and I see that you have a very rare Crest!"

"I see."

"Indeed! I know I've seen it somewhere before but I'm scouting through all my research books to try and find it! Not to worry, all will be revealed by the end of it!"

Byleth raised an eyebrow while looking at the machine… and slowly took out a strand of her own hair out and placed it in the device. "I suppose if it will help you out."

"Oh thank you! I'm so happy that you're understanding for this research endeavour! If only Seteth was like this… but perhaps I could get some hair from your tail-"

"Don't push it." Byleth glowered dangerously as her tail coiled tightly around her waist.

Hanneman gulped in fear and raised his hand laughing nervously. "Have a good day Miss Byleth."

She nodded and walked off to her quarters, still hearing Edelgard and Dimitri talking and laughing loudly. "A tavern? Well I wouldn't be opposed to that."

But then Byleth yawned and looked out a window to see the sun setting. "I can always tell them tomorrow once they are in better shape. It's not like they're going anywhere anyway. And I need to get Ashe ready to catch up."

But then she remembered Seteth asking to speak with her and groaned loudly, wanting to do her night training and sleep. As well as try to remember that dream she had.

"I best not keep him waiting."

She turned back around and walked to his office and saw him staring out the window. He heard her come in and turned to greet her. "Ah, there you are. I apologise for requesting this meeting so suddenly. Please sit."

Byleth slowly nodded as both of them sat down with Seteth gesturing to a pot of tea. "Would you care for a cup?"

"I'm okay, thank you."

"Very well. Then I would like to get down to business."

Seteth poured himself a cup and wrote on a sheet of paper. "You are certainly an extraordinary woman. One who we are in once again in debt of, regarding your actions in protecting our dear students. And yet… I cannot help but feel afraid."

"Afraid?" Byleth asked, tilting her head as Seteth nodded.

"Indeed. I have met many people and looked at many books on strong individuals. And yet, I have never met someone like you. The tail for example, is a trait that appears to only be unique to you. You are the daughter of Jeralt Eisner, correct?"

"That is correct." Byleth said, watching her tail freely move about. "Though I got my tail from my mother."

"Ah yes, my condolences." Seteth muttered, placing his cup down again. "I understand that you never knew her. From what little I can gather from Professor Jeralt, you seem to have gotten your strength from her."

"Father said that mother told him to give me information little by little so as not to overwhelm me with my origins. All I know is that I'm… different."

Seteth frowned, looking at the downcast look Byleth had. He could certainly relate to what it's like to be different in this world. "Yes. There are certainly few people who can eat an entire dining hall and destroy mountains. Which is why I am hesitant to place my trust in you."

"I figured that." Byleth said, looking up at him. "It's only logical. You don't know me, and I could destroy this entire Monastery should I feel like it."

"I'm afraid it cannot be helped." Seteth replied. "Know that I hope the day comes when I can trust you, but you are right. You are a stranger. It is as simple as that. I only ask that you continue to protect our students as well as manage this Task Force. Only then, can our circumstances change."

"Will that be all?" Byleth asked.

Seteth wanted so badly to ask her about her tail, and her need to sleep from a full moon… but he held his tongue instead and nodded. "Yes. You should get some rest. I understand that we are asking a lot of you, but I would like to make sure you are ready at the end of the month."

Byleth nodded and stood up, turning away and leaving the room. Seteth just stared at his cup and stroked his beard. "A full moon…"

* * *

' _Finally!' Sothis yelled. 'I felt like we were never going to get to bed!_ '

Byleth smiled slightly as she got downstairs and stretched her arms. "We need to get Ashe up to speed tomorrow so we best get some rest."

' _There is something that we can agree on!_ '

She was now passing the students dorms and stopped in front of a certain one and pursed her lips. ' _…I best check to see how she is getting on with her own training.'_

'… _That is probably the best course of action. Just make it quick!_ '

Byleth nodded and slowly knocked on the door. "Are you there?"

”...Professor?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Yeah, it's kind of a shorter chapter this time around. It's more to just settle everything down and to get ready for the next day where Ashe will begin his training. I did struggle for a bit on this chapter but hey, gotta get through it to get to the good stuff, am I right?
> 
> So Sothis had a friend back when she was alive. Yeah, I know it's a stretch but both of them manage time in a way and I'm sure Sothis would've gotten her powers from somewhere. I hope that's okay.
> 
> I know it's wishful thinking, but I do have an idea on a sequel to this story (if I ever get to the end that is) so I hope you will stick around more.
> 
> But yeah, I apologise for the shorter chapter but I couldn't really think of more stuff that I wasn't going to put in on the next chapter. So I'll try to get out the next chapter as soon as possible. I try to do it within 10-14 days but I hope you'll bear with me.
> 
> So yeah, stick around for next time where Byleth gets a modified outfit, Ashe begins his training and Byleth appears to be training someone else too. Also Edelgard and Dimitri won't be out of the action for long, so no need to worry about that.
> 
> But yeah, apologies again.


	14. Chapter 14

Part 1: White Clouds

Recovery and Preparation

" _Goodness, how long is this path?! It feels like forever ago since I was back in that building!"_

_Sothis panted as the constant stretching road before her was looking to be never ending. Even when she looked behind her, she didn't see the building. Just that same winding road. Forever. Never an end in sight._

" _Am I going to die here?" Sothis mumbled, still jogging down the path before her, making sure never to fall off and go plummeting down to the clouds. If she did, then she would never be able to return._

" _Come on Sothis, you can't let down Chronoa! She did a lot to get you this chance, you can't let her down! Try harder!"_

_But despite that pep talk she gave herself, she was running low on energy. She was also starting to get hungry. "Maybe I should've taken some cakes to go? Oh, stupid Sothis you should've prepared before taking on this task!"_

_That's when she had an idea. It was so obvious, why didn't she think of that sooner?! She closed her eyes and slowly started to glow green as she jumped in the air before her size increased ten fold, and wings grew out of her back and her skin turned scaly, with her eyes now turning into slits. She was now in her true form as she gave a roar of victory._

" _ **Now we're talking! This'll give me a great lead on the distance to come!"**_

_With that, she flapped her giant wings and soared into the distance, at a much greater speed than before. This will be over in no time!_

…

" _ **Just… a little… more…"**_

_Loud thuds were sounding throughout the path as Sothis was still in her draconic form but dragging her feet across in exhaustion. She has no idea how long she had been at it now, but knew that it had been way too long. Though she can go a very long time, up to a year without food, even she was feeling the effects._

_Without warning, she collapsed onto the pathway and panted hard._ _**"I can't do it… I'm nowhere… near…"** _

_She then looked up and saw a tail sculpture. Wait. That means it was the end. It was the end! She actually did it! She made it!_

… _There was nothing here._

_There was nothing here!_

" _ **DID I SERIOUSLY DO THIS FOR NOTHING?!"**_

_No there had to be something. Anything! There's no way she did this for nothing._

_Sothis then looked up and saw a planet. So there was in fact something here after all. But the planet looked very far away. She wasn't sure if she even had the stamina to fly again._

_No. She had to do it. She was here already, she just had to fly to the planet and she would be done. And then she could see about mastering her time abilities._

" _ **Okay, let's do this. Come on Sothis, just one last flight, you can do this."**_

_With a deep breath drawn, she flapped her wings and grunted at the strain it gave from constant flying. But she was so close! She had to do it! For Chronoa!_

_So she flew vertical and made her way over to the distant planet which looked to be very far away. But the closer she got, the more she realised that it wasn't far away it was just very small. She couldn't fit on that-_

" _ **W-Wait! What's happening?!"**_ _Sothis yelled as she suddenly felt a tremendous weight on her that was pulling her down rapidly towards the planet. She tried flapping her wings to gain control but she had so much trouble even lifting them!_

_She was going to crash. She couldn't do anything. So she did the only thing she could do and that was closing her eyes and bracing herself as the Nabatean plummeted straight onto the planet. Bits of wood and brick went flying away from the impact as she groaned loudly. She felt like she was being crushed by the intense pressure around her._

" _HEY! Does this look like a landing pad to you? You've destroyed my house!"_

_She slowly opened her eyes and looked at a blue creature with antennae stomping his feet in anger. "Don't your stupid ears work? Get off my house!"_

" _ **I… I can't! It's too heavy to move! I was told to… come here…"**_

_He sighed loudly and shook his head. "Oh, so you're Sothis, eh? Yeah, the Supreme Kai of Time let me know about you. Just change into your pipsqueak form and it should help loosen the weight on you."_

" _ **O-Ok…"**_ _So Sothis started glowing green and shrunk back down to her human form and was now on her hands and knees, panting heavily. It was insane just how much she was being pushed down. "What… what's going on?"_

_He just sniggered to himself and walked towards her. "Yeah, the gravity on my planet is stronger than the one that you're used to. Ten times stronger to be exact."_

" _T-Ten times? S-So… you're… the person that will train me?"_

" _Well, I am that person yes. Whether I teach you is another matter. But I believe introductions are in order. I am known as King Kai. And I know that you are Sothis."_

_Sothis grunted loudly, finally managing to get herself in a standing position and grit her teeth in pain. "What do you mean by teaching me is another matter?"_

" _Well, it's simple. You come in here, and you destroy my prized house and car. You scare poor Bubbles to death, and you expect to me to teach you immediately?"_

" _Bubbles?" Sothis asked, looking around but then felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned around and saw a monkey dancing about._

" _Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"_

" _Yes, that's Bubbles. He was enjoying his banana smoothie when you came in unaccounted for." King Kai yelled at her and gestured to the pile of rubble that was his house and what looked to be a flattened piece of metal. Red metal._

" _Now normally." King Kai continued. "I would be grateful for visitors. It gets awful lonely out here. I would invite you in, ask you to make yourself comfortable on the couch… IF YOU CAN FIND WHAT'S LEFT OF IT!"_

_Sothis now understood what had happened and she prodded her fingers together. "Sorry…"_

" _Sorry ain't gonna cut it, kid. You break it, you fix it!"_

_She then let out a loud "OOF!" As a toolbox was thrown at her chest causing her to collapse to the ground. "I expect it completely fixed! Until then, no training for you!"_

"… _Why did I agree to this…"_

…

It was now early in the morning, as Byleth was currently sitting on a crate in the marketplace waiting on her students, ready to overlook their training as well as inform them of the new Task Force that they would be a part of.

"They seem to be improving." Anna said, stretching her arms while looking at the stalls being set up. "Maybe it's because there are more of them, but they're getting faster each day with the delivery."

Byleth nodded. "They're getting too used to the weighted clothing. That means that they're ready for the next level."

"Hopefully it doesn't crush them." Anna mumbled. "I would hate to lose such valuable workers. Though I wouldn't have to pay them anymore…"

That's when she remembered something. "Say, what about that other student? The one that helped out by setting up all the stalls? Should she be with-"

"She's not ready to train with the others yet." Byleth replied. "She prefers being alone."

"Sounds like a lot of anxie-"

"Ssh. Here they come."

Both women looked in the distance to see the group all make their way to the marketplace. And to her surprise, Ashe was one of the people in front. He stopped in front of her and smiled widely.

"I am here and ready to train Professor! I did my stretches and everything!"

Claude chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Believe it or not, he was the first one awake. He couldn't wait to get started."

"…Very good Ashe. Keep this up, and you'll be in my good books. Now then, I trust that you were caught up on the training program?"

Ashe nodded. "Yes. While it certainly sounds difficult, I will do my best."

"Excellent. And that brings me up to my next point. Ashe, I can see that you have your weighted clothing on. Now, I'm going to need you to work even harder than the others since you are starting a little behind. Think you can do that?"

Ashe saluted and have a big smile. "Of course Professor!"

"Good. You go and make a start on the boxes while I talk to the others."

"Yes, Professor!"

Byleth smiled slightly watching him pick up the crates and run towards the canteen, before turning to the rest. "As for the rest of you, you have come to a point where you are doing your tasks faster and faster. I'm impressed."

The students all smiled at the praise as Claude rubbed his nose. "Ah well, we had you Teach. Couldn't have done it without you."

"That means that you're ready for the next level."

"…N-Next level?"

"Oh no…" Annette whimpered, not liking that word. She had just gotten used to the current weight of her clothing, now there's more?

While everyone was busy panicking, Byleth hopped off the crate that she was sitting on and opened it up. "I took some liberties on improving the clothing. Think of this like a new rank. Ashe is still a beginner, while you are now advanced. The weight won't be all over you like last time. It'll only be in set areas. And this time, you will be replacing your everyday clothes with these completely. No wearing underneath."

Byleth picked up a shirt and tossed it to Claude, who observed it. It was a yellow sleeveless top with the insignia of the Golden Deer on the back and a smaller symbol on the chest, and with it was a pair of yellow bottoms and a black belt. He whistled lowly looking at it. "Damn Teach, you shouldn't have."

"Oh, this looks cute!" Annette said, looking at her own set. Hers was blue with the insignia of the Blue Lions on the chest and back with a pair of blue bottoms.

"Aw yeah, this looks official!" Caspar yelled, with his being red and like the others, the Black Eagles insignia on the chest and back, and a set of red bottoms. Everyone was colour coordinated with their respective houses as Byleth hauled out some black undershirts.

"Try these on."

Lysithea looked around and blushed slightly. "Is there a… changing room?"

"No. Change here."

Everyone stopped and looked at her, expecting her to say that she was joking. But no, she had that same blank expression. "We do not have all day. Get changed while I grab the rest of your uniforms."

"A-Are you sure?" Leonie asked, blushing slightly. Not that she felt embarrassed about changing in front of people, but this just came on too quickly.

"Yes." Byleth replied tossing the undershirts, a pair of black wristbands and a pair of black boots to everyone, who gasped loudly struggling to carry it all under the intense weight. "There has been a development, and because of that, you all need to be comfortable around one another. I will tell you what it is after today's session. Now get to it."

"N-None of you better peek!" Lysithea yelled turning her back as everyone slowly followed suit. Byleth nodded to herself and left everyone to change into their uniforms as she watched Ashe him to himself while carrying boxes, not noticing what his other classmates were doing. Too focused on the training to notice anything.

' _Good._ ' Byleth thought. ' _He and I will get on fine._ '

Meanwhile with the others, Lysithea growled loudly trying to lift the undershirt over her head, but was struggling to do so because of the weight as she fell on her rear end.

"Would you like to have assistance?"

She looked up and covered herself seeing Petra, who had her and undershirt on. Seeing no other way, Lysithea huffed to herself and nodded. "Yes please…."

Petra smiled and went to help with putting it on, but then she noticed something. "Lysithea, where did these scars come from? They are not looking like weapons…"

She watched the girl freeze and just shook her head. "Do not worry about it, just help me get this on."

A worried look made it's way onto the Brigid girls face, but chose not to push it further.

Felix gritted his teeth, trying to get the boots on but was needing to sit down to properly get them on. "This is absurd, this feels like a practical joke."

Leonie sighed, slowly putting on her wristbands and smiled to herself. "There, all done. Phew, it's a lot heavier now."

**[Author's note here. If you are all confused on the visual image, it's basically like the Turtle School Gi but colour coordinated to each house. And instead of the Turtle School kanji, it's their house symbols. Okay, thanks everyone.]**

"You're telling me." Claude said, standing up and trying to do some stretches with difficulty. "But at least we got there in the end."

Soon, everybody else was all dressed up as Byleth came back, nodding. "Good. You all suit it. Now, get to training, Ashe has a head start."

"Of course Professor!" Everyone yelled.

…

"I hate this so much…" Lysithea groaned face planting into the dirt, completely exhausted from tilling land with her fingers. "It feels like we are back to square one. Sometimes I feel like this is all a joke…"

"Ah cheer up Lysithea." Claude said, making good progress on his end. "You can tell it's making a difference. I certainly can. I've got more muscles, my mind is clearer and not to mention I get some new tricks to play with."

"Hrrrrrmmm… I really need some sugar…"

…

"T-This doesn't AH! Seem safe!" Ashe yelled, trying to catch fish and narrowly dodging an arrow meant for his shoulder.

"Use precision Ashe." Petra yelled, throwing two fish that she had caught into the basket. "You can not let worry cloud the mind."

"It's hard to not be worried when you have a lot of arrows coming after you!"

"Hey!" Shamir yelled drawing more arrows. "Less talking, more gathering or I'll switch to Ki arrows. Believe me, you don't want that."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Ashe yelled diving underwater again.

' _She's right._ ' Ashe thought. ' _You need to focus. You knew the training coming in, so you have to try harder. You can't fall behind._ '

…

"Ow! Careful Felix!"

Annette huffed rubbing her arm which got struck by a training sword courtesy of her fellow classmate.

"Right… I apologise…"

Byleth had her arms crossed while looking at the pair sparring. Annette had recently been wanting to develop her ability to produce Ki weapons. Only problem was that she wasn't that skilled with weapons to begin with. She mostly stuck to magic and never really picked up a weapon before.

"Annette we need to focus on your form." Byleth said, walking towards her and lifting her arm. "You can't just swing it about like a crazed ape."

"I know Professor…" Annette mumbled. "But it's just really hard to lift anything with these clothes on! N-Not that I'm not grateful for the clothes, I appreciate it but-"

"I get it. But you're not going to learn how to fight with a sword overnight. These things take time. If you need help, you can always ask Professor Manuela for extra lessons. She knows how to use one."

Annette looked down and stared at her training sword and gritted her teeth trying to lift it. It should've been an easy task but because of the extra weight, she struggled to even lift her arms. Byleth saw this and pursed her lips.

"For now, let's focus on getting you used to the new weight. How are you holding up Felix?"

Felix grunted and swing his arms about. "I can manage, though I cannot deny the struggle. I'll help Annette if you want."

Both women raised their eyebrows in surprise at this as Felix blushed and looked the other way. "I mean it was just a suggestion…"

Byleth smiled lightly and nodded. "I think that's a good idea. You have a good grasp on Ki weapons so you can help. But for now, I think this session is done for today. Gather the rest and I'll tell you about what's happening going forward."

…

Everyone was panting hard at today's training, but Ashe was the most exhausted due to it being his first time trying out this routine. But now everyone was staring at Byleth who had her hands on her hips.

"You all did well today. Ashe, you did amazing for your first time. Make sure every session is like that."

Ashe nodded, smiling wide at the praise before Claude spoke up.

"Now Teach, you finally gonna tell us about this development? I can't contain myself over the excitement over it all."

Byleth noticed the small smirk on his face and just shook her head. "How did you find out about it?"

Claude gasped lightly and placed a hand on his chest. "Why Teach, you would think that I would just eavesdrop on meetings?"

Everyone around him just looked at him with an unimpressive look and Claude just shrugged. "Eh, you caught me. I only got a few details though."

"While that's all well, WE still don't know." Leonie said glaring at him, before looking over at Byleth. "What is it?"

Byleth took a deep breath and started to explain everything that was discussed between herself, Jeralt and Rhea. Everybody was hanging onto every word as this new team idea honestly excited them.

"A Task Force?" Lysithea muttered to herself. "It certainly seems like the right thing to do, giving how we know the power to combat this mysterious foe."

"Could we really do it though?" Ashe asked, looking around everybody. "I mean, I don't doubt the power, but it feels like they grow more powerful each time we encounter them."

"Well, it makes sense." Annette mused to herself, looking up while placing a finger on her cheek. "From what we've seen, they use Ki too. So in theory, we can get stronger too!"

"So we're assigned to guard the Archbishop's life for the Goddesses Rite of Rebirth?" Felix asked, before shaking his head. "Ugh, all this training and we are doing guard duty…"

"Well, we cannot let them down!" Leonie declared, pumping a fist. "A student of Captain Jeralt cannot fail!"

"You know, you have been trained more by Professor Byleth at this point, why do you still call upon Professor Jeralt's training?" Lysithea mumbled annoyingly.

"How are the patients anyway, Teach?" Claude smiled, while folding his arms. "We didn't get a chance to visit them yesterday."

"Well… last time I saw them, they were a combination of drunk and high, and they wanted to open a tavern called The Eagle and Lion."

Everyone was just silent at that while some were trying to contain their laughter.

"That sounds like a good name…" Annette mumbled. "Perhaps we could visit them after class?"

"I would be liking that greatly!" Petra said, smiling. "I would like to be seeing Edelgard. And perhaps ask more about this… tavern?"

"Probably not a good idea Petra." Caspar commented. "You would end up making her turn into Bernadetta."

Petra just looked confused. "I am confusion. I do not know any magic spells to change identities."

"No, I mean… never mind. Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

"What do you think Felix?" Annette asked.

"Tch… I guess we could visit the Boar, together… with the rest of our class."

That's when everybody heard the bell and sighed a little, unhappy that they still had to go to classes. Byleth nodded. "That's all for today. Enjoy class."

With that, everybody walked away and Shamir walked next to her. "When would you like to go to the town?"

But before Byleth could respond, they heard a voice behind them.

"Would you care to fight?"

They turned around to see Jeritza standing there, holding a sword. Byleth never really encountered Jeritza that much during her stay at Beacon, but always found him to be mysterious. He wanted to fight her all the time, and test her strength. He held out the training sword towards her and continued to speak.

"I wish to see your strength. Will you allow me to?"

Byleth looked over at Shamir who shrugged. "I'll go check on Catherine, just try not to break him. Meet me at the gates when you're ready to go."

Shamir waved and walked away leaving the two alone as Byleth slowly took the sword out of Jeritza's hand as he motioned to the sparring arena. "If you'll follow me."

She nodded and slowly followed him to the arena as Jeritza picked up a training sword of his own. While he got ready, he spoke again. "For the record, I am not interested in your light shows. Not for now anyway. All I wish to see from you today is your skill with a blade."

Byleth narrowed her eyes at this man. She couldn't get a read on him at all. But if he wants to see her swordplay then she won't disappoint. While she may prefer hand to hand combat, Jeralt made sure she could handle herself with a blade just in case.

She and Jeritza circled one another as Byleth twirled her sword. "So how are we doing this? Whoever strikes the other three times wins?"

Jeritza nodded, finally taking a stance. "These terms are acceptable. I ask you to not hold back. I want to see your strength for myself. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Byleth replied before taking her own stance. She then slowly stepped forward and waited for Jeritza to make the first move. And he did, by trying to stab at her but she dodged to the right and swung her sword to his shins. But he stepped back and used her moment of vulnerability to his advantage and struck her arm.

"Are you not too familiar with a weapon?" Jeritza asked while going back to his original spot and Byleth went to hers.

"Either I use my fists, or I make my own."

"I see…"

This time, she went on the offensive and went for a variety of jabs that he had no trouble blocking. "You are being too aggressive. I was told you were skilled in combat but I'm not seeing it."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance after realising he was right. She wasn't focusing. So she took a deep breath and let it out before holding her blade at her side and waited.

Jeritza could see something change within her and smiled a little. "Good. Now I will have a better challenge."

Byleth narrowed her eyes and watched him come forward for a strike meant for her leg. She deflected it and dropped to her knees and struck his leg. One point for her.

"Yes… you have tremendous power." But then Jeritza narrowed his eyes. "You are still holding back. Did I not specifically ask you to not do that?"

Byleth widened her eyes at that. Was he trying to get himself killed? But his eyes stared straight back at her behind his mask. "…Very well. I will not hold back on you."

The two went back to their original spots and took their stances once more. They then circled each other again as Jeritza went for a stab but Byleth parried it away and gripped her sword with both hands and saw Jeritza was doing the same thing. Both then swung heavily at each other and the wooden blades clashed with one another and instantly shattered upon contact.

Byleth narrowed her eyes as she tossed the useless sword away and balled her fists. But Jeritza just stared at his and dropped it, walking away. "We're done here."

"What? You don't want to continue?" Byleth asked, dumbfounded as she watched him stop.

"No. I only came to measure your power and I've seen enough. Next time we battle, I want to see your Ki."

With that, he walked out leaving Byleth by herself looking confused at what just happened. But she sighed and shook her head before leaving too. That's when she noticed something strange today. "Sothis? Are you here?"

It took a minute but she then heard a voice. ' _Hm? Oh, I apologise… I have been getting flashes of a time long past._ '

"You mean, you're remembering fragments of your past?" Byleth asked as Sothis appeared in front of her with furrowed brows.

' _Oh, it's so frustrating… it is spotty, but I remember this long winding path, it looked like a large snake… and then there was this blue creature… I had to repair his house… and tell him a stupid joke…'_

"…Wow, this is quite a past you have. Anything else?"

' _Not much after that… I remember that place the most. I spent a long time there. As for what purpose, I am not clear on that.'_

Byleth saw how sad Sothis looked and tried cheering her up. "Well hey, it's a start isn't it? More will come overtime, at least some stuff is coming back, right?"

Sothis slowly smiled as she nodded. ' _You're right! It is slow, but it is working! I even recall a time where I also used Ki! Though I'm not sure that I have anything to show for it… oh, but you're right. It'll take some time._ '

With that, she disappeared again and Byleth saw Shamir waving to her as she jogged up to her partner. "I assume you went easy on him?"

"He was… strange, so to say. But never mind that, shall we get going?"

Shamir smirked and patted her friends back, leading her away.

…

"So Edelgard. What is your deepest fear?"

Edelgard was currently in Seteth's office laying down on a couch with her head propped up by a cushion. She was making good progress on her leg but needed to use a cane to attend this counselling session that Byleth set up for her.

"Seteth, I really don't think this is necessary."

"I am merely acting upon the request of Miss Byleth." Seteth explained while sitting at his chair, holding a quill and paper. "She is worried about your mental health and asked me to arrange a counsel session. So I ask again, what is your deepest fear?"

Edelgard sighed. She really didn't want to be in the same room as him right now. He was one of them. Even though he was quite kind on occasions, he was mostly strict when it came to people.

But Byleth arranged this for her. Because she was worried. It wouldn't exactly be fair to her mentor if she didn't try, would it? So with another sigh, Edelgard answered.

"Rats."

"Rats." Seteth repeated scribbling on the paper.

"I… something happened to me as a child. I'm afraid I'm not comfortable sharing it."

"That's perfectly okay." Seteth reassured her. "We only approach that if you are ready. Just go at your own pace."

"Right… thank you." Edelgard said, looking at her foot still in a cast which had to be propped up. "Well. Needless to say, after what happened, rats scare me. They just bring up too many bad memories. Another fear I did have was swimming, but Professor Byleth helped me swim."

"Would you say Miss Byleth is a source of comfort for you?"

Edelgard nodded, smiling wide. "Yes. She is so strong and wise. Despite her quirky nature, she always pushed me to better myself. I don't know what I would be like if I never met her."

"You also appear to be closer to your fellow house leaders. Do you consider them a source of comfort?"

"I do." Edelgard answered. "Truth be told, we didn't get on well at first. Dimitri and I would always bicker and Claude was… well, Claude. But thanks to Professor Byleth, we spend more time together and I see a whole side to them I never realised."

Seteth nodded, observing Edelgard now feeling more relaxed. "Back to the main point. Any other fears?"

"…I fear Crests."

His eyebrow raised slightly as he stopped writing. "Crests?"

Edelgard's lips were a thin line as she tried to not look at him. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt. "The Crest System to be exact. I feel that it is a very flawed system. Why should people be given benefits simply because of them bearing a Crest? I know Ingrid is constantly having to find a husband to help her house because she's the only one. Sylvain has a brother who was casted out because he doesn't possess one. There are people who can do good in politics but are not granted that chance because they do not have a Crest."

She then looked at her right hand and clenched her fist. There. She said it. She knew that she stepped out of line here, spouting out her thoughts but it was just so frustrating-

"My thoughts exactly."

…

…

…What?

She slowly looked to Seteth who was nodding. "I understand many of your points Edelgard. I know it may be of surprise that someone of my position thinks this way, but that is how I feel. While there are values to Crests, they are also a burden."

Edelgard felt very light headed all of a sudden as what she had just hear was too much. She was not expecting this conversation to go this way. She needed to know more! But suddenly, they both heard a bell ring. A bell that Seteth kept on his desk.

"Ah, I'm afraid our session is over. Do you feel like this had made an impact?"

Edelgard slowly nodded as more things were becoming clear to her. "Yes… I would like to do this again. Perhaps you can share with me your views on Crests?"

"Perhaps one day." Seteth replied, putting away that sheet of paper. "But for now, let's focus on you and your issues. Now, will you need help on getting back to the infirmary?"

Edelgard shook her head and grabbed her cane to prop herself up. "Thank you Seteth… this helped. A lot."

"I'm glad. I hope you make a swift recovery."

As she left, he sighed to himself. "That went a lot easier than I expected. Though from what I've heard about Dimitri, this might be tougher to do. Oh well, I have until tomorrow to prepare for that."

Edelgard was frowning to herself hobbling back to the infirmary. That was another thing that contradicted the claims her uncle made. That all Nabatean's were greedy and used Crests to keep people in line. And yet, Seteth not only is he a member of the church, but he agrees that the Crest System is unnecessary too! And he believes that people should be determined by their actions!

Was she still under the effects of that damn medicine? No… this was real. He agreed with her!

"…Am I going about this all wrong? Is my plan the best way to move forward? My eyes are getting opened a lot lately…"

That's when she bumped into something and fell to the ground, groaning loudly.

"Oh, sorry Edelgard. I didn't notice you there."

She looked up to see Jeralt hovering over her as he held out his hand for her to take.

"P-Professor Jeralt? What are you doing here?"

He helped her up and kept her balanced while grabbing her cane. "Actually, I was waiting on you. You have a brand new uniform to wear once you are healed. From what Manuela was telling me, you should be off your cast today and with a couple days of more rest, you should be good as new. Dimitri is now discharged from the infirmary."

"Oh, I see. Good for him." Edelgard muttered, hobbling back to the infirmary and saw her uniform on the bed she was on.

She honestly felt very happy at the thought of being gifted an upgrade. But then she noticed something that made her blood run cold.

"U-Uuuummmm….. is there a long sleeved shirt?"

"No. Just short sleeves."

"T-Then I refuse." Edelgard said, clutching her gloves. Jeralt noticed that she always wore long sleeves even when it was scorching hot, and she was obsessed with keeping her gloves on. He had an idea.

"Edelgard, I'm going fishing with Byleth this afternoon. I would like for you to join us."

"B-But sir, I do not know-"

"We will teach you. I insist."

Edelgard paused, not expecting that this is how today would go down. She admits, she maybe should've kept her composure more over a silly shirt. But her weakness…

"Byleth will pick you up."

She turned around to see him leave and she blushed at the thought of her teacher coming. She looked like a mess!

"No, stop being silly Edelgard… it's just fishing… that's it… nothing more…"

…

"So, you're not too interested in the kind of trousers?" Shamir asked as she and Byleth walked through the market.

"As long as they are durable, I don't care." Byleth replied as she had her coat off today with her tail swinging about freely. "I used to have a pair but they ripped."

"I see. Considering how much you train, that's no surprise. So, the students liked the uniforms then?"

Byleth nodded as they got to the fashion stalls. "Though I have a feeling Edelgard is going to be difficult. She's always requesting long sleeves and hiding her skin. Normally, I oblige, but I noticed even before we went to Castle Gaspard she's been hesitant to fight in the danger of her clothes tearing."

"So what, you think she's shy?"

"Not exactly. I think she's got scars she's ashamed of. Think about it, have you ever seen her not in long sleeves or gloves? Even when swimming?"

Shamir frowned as she looked down. "You have a good point. So what's the plan?"

"She's going to be joining my father and I for fishing today, and we are going to talk."

"And you truly think she's going to open up?" Shamir asked, while looking at a pair of trousers for Byleth.

"I hope at least a little. So we can get to the bottom of why she covers up. If it's something she has always done, then fair enough. But I don't want her to feel ashamed of herself."

"Well, good luck I guess. Hey, what about this one?"

Byleth looked over to see Shamir holding a pair of black trousers that looked pretty tough as she inspected it. "Looks good. I'll take this one."

"And… that's it? You don't want a shirt, or anything else?"

"Nope. Just the trousers."

Shamir shook her head, watching Byleth walk up to the merchant. "This woman…"

…

"Professor Jeralt, I wouldn't want to impose on your time with your daughter." Edelgard said while being helped along by Jeralt.

"Nonsense. The more the merrier, and I'm sure that you would rather catch fish in a way that doesn't have you be hit by arrows."

He helped her sit down as he handed her a fishing rod. Thankfully, she was told by Manuela that she could take her cast off but was instructed to keep weight off the foot for a few days, and was finally discharged from the ward. She knows that Dimitri would be back to training since he recovered. And what was she doing? Fishing. But then Jeralt spoke up.

"Talk to me Edelgard. I've noticed that you always cover up when it comes to training. Is it something you and your family do?"

Edelgard suddenly felt very uncomfortable as she looked down at her rod which Jeralt grabbed and casted for her before setting it back on her lap.

"I… no. Just something that I do…"

"I understand that the subject makes you uncomfortable." Jeralt continued, looking into the water. "But I have noticed that it has affected your fighting and your training. You're a lot more reluctant to fight in case your clothes tear. Do you… have something to hide?"

If it was any other person, Edelgard would ask them to drop it and leave. But not Jeralt. She couldn't explain it but… she always felt comfortable around him. Like a father figure. Despite his intimidating features, he always listened to his students problems and tried to offer advice.

"I-I… something happened to me… when I was a child. And the remnants of that event are forever plastered on me, never to leave."

Jeralt nodded, to show that he was listening as Edelgard's eyes hardened. "They did things to me… things that I'm not comfortable sharing. But it changed me… it made me realise how unfair the world is. And how the world needs to change. I came out of it stronger, and I would show my assailants that I'm stronger because of it."

"Don't you get tired of contradicting yourself?"

Both Jeralt and Edelgard turned to see Byleth approaching, now wearing her new trousers. But Byleth was looking at the Princess.

"You claim that you would show that they made you stronger, yet you cover yourself from others. To me, that sounds like you're letting them know that you are still scared of them and that they won."

"I… I am?"

Byleth nodded as she sat down casting her line. "I'm not saying you aren't strong Edelgard. But it is clear that whatever happened to you, is still affecting you, despite you saying you are stronger, you hide it away. True strength is not hiding anything. I have plenty of scars to show, but I don't go out of my way to hide it."

"With all due respect, my teacher, this is different than a few cuts." Edelgard replied as Byleth turned to her and slowly reached to her coat and moved it to expose her shoulder and Edelgard gasped, looking at it.

It was the injury she sustained after she and Shamir took on that mission and fought the Goliath. Her shoulder was a mess, with skin literally pulled and stitched together making it look very wrinkled and painful in places. Not to mention, there was still a purple blotch on the outside of the injury.

"I bear ugly scars as well." Byleth said. "But I'm not afraid to show it. Now I ask you Edelgard, are you afraid?"

"We are your mentors." Jeralt piped in. "You can trust us."

Trust. There was that word again. Edelgard could feel her anxiety creep up as she gripped her gloved hands tightly. She couldn't show weakness! She had to remain strong! Conceal, don't feel! She refused to be seen as weak!

…But wasn't she already weak? By hiding? Why were they so confident in showing their own weaknesses yet she couldn't even do it herself? Were they right? Was she just kidding herself? Pretending she had everything under control when in reality she was still that scared girl?

…Trust….

"…Very well. I will show you."

She took a couple of deep breaths and slowly pulled off one of her white gloves as it revealed the very thing she tried hiding. Both Jeralt and Byleth widened their eyes at what they saw.

Scars. Tons of scars. And they looked like they were done intentionally. Not at all like battle damage. This looked like a surgeon job. Her hand looked completely mangled with the scars forming a spiderweb pattern as the two adults before her stated in shock.

"It was a long time ago… and I'm not ready to disclose what happened yet… but perhaps you are both right…"

She looked up at them and had a glazed look as she stood up before bowing. "I thank you both. But I must do some thinking, if you'll excuse me."

They watched her walk away and saw her leave her rod behind as it started dragging to the water. Byleth grabbed it and tugged on the rod watching a fish flop from the water.

"Very good kid. You've almost got it."

But then when she tried to tug again, all the weight was gone as the fish got out. She furrowed her brows and pouted at the failed catch. Jeralt just patted her back. "Cheer up kid. You don't get them all."

"…Do you think she will try?"

"It's not up to us kid. We can only hope."

…

A week had passed since that little talk, and now Hubert was knocking on Edelgard's door and waiting for a response. "Lady Edelgard, I have a report. I understand that you are getting ready for training?"

That's when the door opened and Hubert's face dropped when he saw her walk out. "Lady Edelgard…."

"I know. But this is what I'm choosing to do." Edelgard replied. "Is there a report?"

"…There is, but it can wait until later. All I will say is that he accepted the offer. I apologise for taking so long."

"Thank you Hubert. I must be going now."

…

"Where is Edelgard?" Dimitri mumbled, looking around. "It's not like her to be late."

"Ah, don't worry about Princess." Claude replied. "She is probably eating some beauty sleep, she'll turn up."

Byleth hummed as she was helping Anna check the stock of the boxes that were currently before them. But that's when they heard Lysithea gasp behind them and they all turned to look and their faces all dropped in shock.

It was Edelgard, who was standing there with her new training uniform on… which also meant that her hands and arms were exposed, showing off all her scars. It shocked everyone, but nobody was shocked more than Lysithea.

' _Is she… like me?_ '

"Edelgard… I…" Dimitri began to say, but she just raised a hand.

"This was a very big step for me, and I'm not comfortable with sharing the details. Just know that I will no longer be hiding myself from the world. I hope that you all can help me with that."

"We will." Byleth replied, stepping forward. "If you all can get started with the training, I would like to speak to Edelgard alone."

They all nodded and jogged off to the crates as Edelgard rubbed her arm. But Byleth just smiled. "I know that wasn't easy. I'm proud of you for taking that step."

"T-Thank you, my teacher."

"And so, I will give you a nice reward."

Edelgard's face went red as Byleth slowly brought her hand to her white hair and gave it two pats. Edelgard felt like steam was coming out of her ears as her cheeks were warm. Byleth nodded in response as Edelgard trembled in delight from the praise.

"Okay, now get to it."

"Of course, Professor!"

A dust cloud of Edelgard was left behind as she zipped away to help with the crates.

' _It appears that her motivation maxed out there._ ' Sothis commented, appearing next to Byleth. ' _Do you think we will be ready for this threat?'_

"I have faith." Byleth replied, watching Edelgard chat with Dimitri and Claude. "They will have no problems."

' _I certainly don't doubt your faith. Let's just hope no funny business happens._ '

"Agreed. I just want this to go normally. For their sake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's a wrap!
> 
> Apologies for the lateness. Unfortunately circumstances have changed now with this schedule. I just got a new job which requires me to work 8 hour shifts 5 days a week. Obviously, I'll be going to this story as much as I can, and I hope that you will be patient.
> 
> But yes, I always imagine Edelgard and Lysithea to have numerous scars from their experiments, which unfortunately doesn't show in game. But at least we have Edelgard opening up more and more.
> 
> So we now have our connection in the DBZ universe with Sothis meeting King Kai. And yes, she will be a student of his. Keep in mind, this is way before the canon events of both franchises, so no meeting Goku here. Yet.
> 
> But yes, next time we are going to the Rite of the Goddess's Rebirth. Will things still play out like it did in canon? Or will shenanigans ensue?
> 
> Also yes, Jeritza will play some parts in Byleth's power rise.
> 
> Also forgive the frequent updates as I’m currently posting every chapter from FF.net over to here. 
> 
> Catch you later!


	15. Chapter 15

Part 1: White Clouds

The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth

" _Another day… another contract…"_

_Jeralt sighed as he got out of his tent and went to the nearby river to wash his face. It had been five years since he left the Church of Seiros, and in that time he founded his own mercenary group. He had to think of some way to make money and this was the only way he could do it. With his skills._

_Not to mention he had to pay for all the food that his daughter Byleth was always eating. Honestly, that kid was just as bad as her mother when it came to her appetite. He supposed that just came with the Saiyan blood._

_Speaking of Byleth, he found her sitting near the river with her back to it and he wondered what she was trying to do. Though this wasn't anything out of the ordinary for her, she usually slept, ate, or just sat down waiting for him to tell her what to do. But this was different. She never went off on her own. And now she was just sitting there._

" _Hey kid, what are you doing?" Jeralt asked, walking up to the child and kneeling in front of her._

" _Fishing." Byleth replied still staring ahead. Jeralt was just confused as he looked around to find a rod._

" _But… you don't have a fishing rod."_

" _The fish like my tail. So I use it."_

_Jeralt raised an eyebrow, before realising that her tail was in the water, slowly swaying as if to attract fish towards it. And right on cue, she lifted up her tail to reveal a very big fish on the end of it and she went to pull it off and presented it to her father._

" _So the camp can eat."_

_He just chuckled and ruffled her blue hair. "I think it will take a lot more than one fish kid. But this is definitely a huge fish. Almost as big as you. Thanks for it though."_

_He was escorting Byleth back to camp when she asked a question._

" _When can we train?"_

_She always had a monotone way of speaking. He assumed that was because of the fact she had no heartbeat, but the little one always had questions that he tried to answer in the best way._

_But this was a different kind. The other mercenaries have tried teaching her how to fight, but they don't know that she is half alien warrior so her punches ended with them having broken bones. Now nobody wants to train with her except him._

" _We will once we get into town kid. Remember your tail."_

" _Of course dad." Byleth replied as the furry brown appendage wrapped itself around her waist, to act like a belt. "I apologise. I will make sure to keep it better hidden."_

_She always sounded like a Noble reading off of a script. Straight to the point. Never dawdled. It was like this even when he taught her how to speak. "You can free your tail when we are alone."_

_That's when he truly looked around and noticed the scenery around him. A wide grassy plain with a couple of trees dotted across the scenery, with a nice long river behind them. "Hmm. Why don't we start training now? We don't have to leave for a couple more hours and this feels like the perfect place don't you think?"_

_He then got into his stance and watched as she slowly smiled and copied it, but lowering herself more to the ground. And there was that smile he loved seeing. But it rarely came and it was only when he mentioned fighting or bringing her food. But he would take what he could get when it came to his daughter showing emotion._

" _Alright kid, let's take it slow this time around. No Ki blasts, just fists for now, got it?"_

" _Yes dad." Byleth replied before she charged towards him and jabbed at his stomach but he caught her fist and threw her towards a tree._

_She landed on the trunk and used it to boost herself forward again, this time ducking when he tried grabbing her again and tripped him up using her feet. Normally, a child wouldn't be able to do this to a giant grown man but Byleth wasn't like most kids and was insanely strong._

_While Jeralt was in the air, she stuck out her foot and hit him in the chest sending him flying towards the river. But he stopped himself in midair and flew towards Byleth who took a stance again and narrowed her eyes before jabbing him in the face._

_But to her shock, her fist completely passed through him and he slowly faded away, and that's when she realised what was happening. But she realised it too late as she was forced to the ground with Jeralt pinning her down._

" _You weren't paying attention again kid."_

"… _I know dad." Byleth said as Jeralt helped her up. "I apologise, I should've known you would use the after-image technique."_

" _Well, lucky for you we are the only ones who actually use Ki so you don't have to worry about an enemy using that on you. But you must still pay attention in battle. After all, you will be accompanying us on missions next week and I don't want you to get hurt."_

" _I understand. Thank you." Byleth bowed to him, as he did the same now that the little session had ended. "Can we try again?"_

_But before Jeralt could reply, a loud growling sound came from Byleth as she held her stomach. Jeralt just smirked a little and shook his head. "You haven't eaten today. It's better to fill in that cave you call a stomach first."_

_That's when he remembered the fish she caught and held it up. "Think you can get more of these kid?"_

" _I can." Byleth replied. "The fish are very attracted to my tail."_

" _Then let's surprise the rest of the camp by bringing in fish for breakfast. Sound good?"_

" _As you wish."_

* * *

Byleth was currently in front of the cathedral and blew out a breath. Today was the day that they would undergo their task of protecting the Archbishop. At least, that used to be the goal before they all investigated further, and they theorised that the assailants true motive was to break into the tomb and take the remains of Saint Seiros who was allegedly buried there.

"Professor. Are you ready?"

She turned around to see Edelgard and the rest of Task Force 141 standing there in front of her. Jeralt walked up to her and smiled.

"Let's just make sure no funny business happens down there, got it kid?"

Byleth nodded and joined her Task Force as Claude looked at her. "Feeling confident about what they're truly after Teach?"

"I believe that this is what they are after." Byleth replied.

That's when Jeralt looked at his daughter and nodded. "All that matters is how they make their move from here on out. You okay kid?"

"Yes father." Byleth said, before noticing something was off. "Where are the rest of the Black Eagles?"

"They are off patrolling the grounds. I've placed them under the care of Alois while I accompany you down there. After Castle Gaspard, I'm taking no chances."

"Yes, you seem a might too relaxed for my liking." Seteth said, walking towards the group with Flayn in tow. "The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth is about to begin."

He then turned his attention to Byleth, Jeralt and Shamir. "While we are in the Goddess Tower, we are relying on you to secure the locations that are lacking in defence."

But that's when Flayn shook her head and spoke up, directly speaking to Byleth. "May I let you in on something, Miss Byleth? My brother can be a bit… callous."

Everyone turned towards Flayn as she cracked a smile. "He told me that he was concerned about you, and hinted that perhaps you would be better off patrolling a coffin!"

Seteth quickly cleared his throat and tried to hide the embarrassed blush creeping up on his face while everyone either laughed or smiled. "That was said in jest Flayn! And in confidence. Please just remain by my side and do not cause any more trouble."

With his composure collected, he turned to the trio again. "As the leaders of this Task Force, you would do well to remember that your members are still students at the end of the day, and I expect you to guide them down the path of righteousness."

Flayn bowed to the group and smiled again. "Please excuse us, everyone. We shall see you again after the ceremony has concluded!"

Everybody watched the duo walk away and Jeralt shook his head, letting out a smile. "A coffin. Glad to know he has some sense of humour."

Shamir chuckled too before turning to the group. "Alright everyone, no time to lose. We need to find a good hiding spot where we can guard the steps to the Holy Mausoleum."

"Indeed." Edelgard nodded, smiling. "If the enemy moves as predicted, we should be able to cut off their escape path and capture every last one of them."

Byleth smiled and looked at all the students who had their training uniforms on. It was amazing on the progress Edelgard showed when it came to exposing her skin. And everyone pretty much got used to it once the shock faded away. And she was honestly proud to see everyone wearing them.

"Then let's get going."

* * *

"You guys ready?" Claude whispered, hiding behind a pillar with Leonie.

"Stop talking!" Edelgard hissed from her hiding spot. "You'll give us away!"

"Ssh! Here they come!"

Task Force 141 held their breath as the Western Church soldiers came in, wearing strange things on their faces as a mysterious robed figure lead the charge.

"Open your eyes." He said to the soldiers. "Show us the way."

The students then stiffened once they heard a series of commands and shouts.

"Quick, to the coffin!"

"Guard me!"

"Hey! Show yourselves! We know you're here!"

"What? How do they know?" Dimitri whispered to Annette who shrugged.

"So much for a surprise attack. Might as well head on out. Come on Caspar." Edelgard muttered picking herself up.

Task Force 141 exited out of their hiding spots and faced down soldiers from the Western Church who were in front of the mage wearing a mask, guarding him.

They were all wearing something that chilled Jeralt to his core. It might've looked slightly different, but he recognised that design anywhere.

The Western Church soldiers all wore Scouters. That's how they were able to tell where they were hiding.

But the rest of the group were confused. Caspar scratched his head and pointed at the Scouters. "What's with the thing covering their eye? Seems a little strange."

Byleth then noticed how shaken up her father was and frowned. "Is everything okay, dad?"

"How the hell did they get those…" Jeralt muttered as one of the soldiers measured their powers. He turned to his comrades and pointed at Byleth.

"Keep an eye on the blue haired girl. She has the highest power level."

"Buy me some time!" The mysterious mage in front of a coffin at the top yelled. "While I open the seal to the coffin."

"Got it." The soldiers replied getting ready to fight the group.

Claude scratched his head, looking at the mage in the distance. "Looks like they're trying to break open the coffin in the back. Maybe they're going after the Saint's bones? Weird."

Dimitri glowered at them, forming a Ki lance. "We must defeat them before they open the casket!"

He was about to run forward but was quickly stopped by Edelgard. "Look. There are contraptions of some sort on the floor."

Dimitri looked to where she was pointing and saw glowing tiles on the floor. She turned her attention to the group.

"We must pay attention to our enemies' weapons and devices and advance while attacking them from advantageous positions."

"Good call Edelgard." Jeralt replied. "Everyone stay close. Do not get separated. They know how tough you are with those devices on their heads, so be careful!"

Everybody present took their stances as they charged towards the soldiers who were making it their mission to not let them through.

Leading the charge was Caspar who delivered two blows to a soldiers chest and gave him an uppercut right in the chin sending the soldier flying skyward before he gave a right hook to his chest sending him crashing into a wall. He pumped his fists in the air and grinned. "Aw yeah! One down! Who else wants a piece?!"

"Come at me!" Annette yelled from her side of the room at the approaching enemies. "I've been training on how to assemble weapons! I'm not afraid!"

That's when she went and produced a sword and started swinging it wildly. The two soldiers just staring at each other as Annette had her eyes shut while swinging.

"That's it! Take that! Hah! You are done for! I'm going to chop you to pieces!"

They then shrugged and drew their own swords and were about to charge when suddenly they were sliced from behind by Felix, who quietly disposed of them before Annette opened her eyes. She smiled brightly and raised her hands in the air, cheering.

"Hah! See Felix? I told you I'm getting better!"

"You need to work on your form." Felix replied bluntly, walking away from her whilst trying not to look at her. "Now come on. There's more to handle."

"Hey! Don't just walk away! That's rude! At least I'm doing stuff!"

Meanwhile, Leonie yelped dodging an arrow aimed at her head, and shot a Ki blast at another one, disintegrating it. "Hey! I'm trying to get past! You're in my way!"

She dodged another arrow and charged at the archer, punching him in the face knocking him out as she rubbed her knuckles. "Jeez, these are some of the worst henchmen I've ever seen. Can't even take a punch."

"That's probably because we have insane strength. Just a suggestion." Claude smirked, as he fired a Ki beam at an unsuspecting soldier going after Edelgard. She looked at him with wide, surprises eyes as Claude saluted. "Thank me later, Princess!"

Edelgard just glared at him and was next to Dimitri who held his lance. "I'll take the five on the left, you take the five on the right."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!"

With that, they charged, careful to avoid the contraptions on the floor as the soldiers tried overwhelming them. But between Edelgard's smaller stature and Dimitri's Crest, both were very difficult to take down. Edelgard just kept on dodging attacks and punched them away, her axe long forgotten. Overtime, she just got sick of using it and preferred hand to hand, like Byleth.

Back at the coffin, the mage turned around and yelled to the figure at the centre of the room who was just sitting there on his horse. "Death Knight! Prove your strength and scatter these fools!"

The being known as the Death Knight just stayed at his spot and growled. **"I don't take commands. Or deal with weaklings. There is only one foe that I am after."**

Shamir dodged a sword swing and punched a soldier into a wall before staring at the Death Knight. Her head throbbed as she managed to sense the power. "That foe is giving off an incredible aura. We may be wise to avoid him for now."

But Edelgard clenched her fist and gritted her teeth after noticing it, knowing full well who that figure was. ' _Those bastards! They really went and done it! I knew I shouldn't have… but this is necessary… isn't it?_ '

She quickly disposed of an archer and piped up, trying to distract herself. "I agree. No good can come from challenging him."

" **The one known as Byleth Eisner. Face me in combat."**

Byleth was holding a soldier by the throat and slowly dropped him to the ground, walking over to the Death Knight, with the idea of a challenge sounding good, to which Edelgard protested.

"Professor you can't!" Edelgard screamed, trying to hold her in place. "He's too powerful."

But Byleth narrowed her eyes and stepped forward and looked at the students. "Dispose of the soldiers. Don't let any escape. This one is mine."

Edelgard tried to get her to stay but Jeralt spoke up. "Listen to your mentor, brat. Help is round up survivors too. We can use them for questioning."

She slowly relented and ran off, with Death Knight getting off his horse as a dark aura enveloped him, staring down Byleth. **"Long have I waited for this moment. You are the only worthy foe. Now come at me."**

Byleth growled and powered up to her max, not taking any chances. She couldn't explain it, but his Ki was absurd. It was like the Goliath and Lonato but more potent… did they manage to perfect that dark crystal?

To test out her theory, she charged an Ashen Blast and fired it at the Death Knight who sliced through it with his scythe and charged towards her. She growled silently and braced herself. She knew if she got hit by that scythe then it was over, and she didn't want to waste too many Divine Pulses. She back flipped over the knight and punched him in the back sending him flying towards the wall which dented it. A few seconds passed before the Death Knight got back up and slowly cracked his neck with his aura getting darker.

" **Ugh… impressive. This is what I wanted for so long. Show me more!"**

She gritted her teeth watching him power up and channel dark Ki into his scythe which oozed deadly energy. He then swung at her which cut her clean in half… only to realise that it was an After-Image technique he struck which meant she was still around. He then looked up and saw her come sailing down with her feet outstretched and the blow landed on his head which sent him flying again into a wall. Byleth landed on the ground and glared.

"Had enough? I can tell you aren't used to this power." Byleth explained while staying in her stance. "It's like you don't even know how to use it."

The Death Knight panted and slowly picked himself up and pointed at Byleth, charging up a dark Ki beam from his finger. **"Let's see you survive this- URK!"**

He collapsed to the ground after getting struck by a powerful attack. Byleth whirled around to see Lysithea holding her hands out and charged up an attack as she clenched her fist which had a dark glow to it and thrusted it forward.

"SUPER DEATH SPIKES!"

The attack struck the Death Knight in multiple areas, making him spill to the ground, with his armour cracked badly and smoke coming off it as he grunted, slowly picking himself up and he sighed. **"You're good… the girl interests me… we shall meet again, Byleth Eisner…"**

With that, the Death Knight teleported away as Lysithea pointed to the mysterious mage and yelled at Byleth. "Stop him! You have a clear path to him! We will hold off the rest!"

"Thank you Lysithea." Byleth nodded and glared at the mage who was chanting to himself and his hands had an aura around them and raised above his head. She dashed forward when he noticed her charging towards him and turned around.

"You are too late!" The mage yelled cackling. "The seal will be broken any minute now! Begone with you!"

He charged up a fire spell and threw it at Byleth but she dodged out of the way and punched him straight in the stomach causing him to slam against the coffin and he grinned under his mask after feeling the cover budge.

"It's no use! The seal is broken!" He yelled pushing the cover off and digging through the contents. "You are too late- huh? A sword?"

The mage pulled out a strange looking sword which Byleth saw and quickly disarmed him by punching him and tripping him up causing him to fall down the steps. She caught the sword and looked at it before clutching her head in pain as a massive migraine hit her. It was like a burning feeling as she felt her head becoming lighter.

"What's… going on…"

While she was distracted, the mage charged up a fire spell and launched it towards her. But she luckily saw it coming in time and slashed through the attack before noticing the sword glowed red.

"I-Impossible!" The mage yelled backing away from her, before realising he was backed into a corner. Byleth decided to take advantage of her new weapon and charged towards the mage who conjured up a shield. But between her strength and the sword, she cut through it with ease and shot a Ki blast through his heart, killing him instantly.

She looked over his corpse to make sure he stayed dead before inspecting the weapon, noting the strange hole in it's hilt. But that's when the migraine came back and she grit her teeth, clutching her head.

"My teacher! Are you okay?" She turned around to see Edelgard and Dimitri run up to her and her vision went white completely and she remembered it felt like that dream she had.

* * *

_**Byleth opened her eyes and realised that she was no longer in the same place that she was before. She was in a throne room, and she realised there was someone on one knee panting hard, as if having fought a hard battle.** _

_**But upon closer inspection, she realised this was Edelgard, in the same outfit as the last vision. Byleth then looked to her left to see her future self standing there, with that same sword in her hand. Her mint green hair seeming to radiate and her green eyes staring down at the girl. Her tail coiled tightly around her waist.** _

_**Finally Edelgard spoke. "It seems… that my path… will end here…"** _

_**She gripped her axe which housed a strange stone in the hole… a hole similar to the one in Byleth's sword. The Mercenary looked at her weapon and back between her future self and Edelgard.** _

" _ **My teacher… claim your victory. Strike me down, you must!"**_

_**Byleth ran up to Edelgard and fell to her knees trying to grab her, but found her arms pass through her student. "Edelgard… I can't do that…"** _

_**But she looked straight into Edelgard's lavender eyes as she continued. "Even now… across this land… are killing each other… if you do not end it right now… this conflict… will go on forever…"** _

_**Edelgard looked straight through Byleth and towards her future self and grit her teeth. "Your path… lies across my grave. It is time for you to find the courage to walk it."** _

" _ **If I must fall…" Edelgard muttered, bowing her head. "Let it be by your hand."**_

_**Byleth turned around to see her future self grip the hilt of the sword tightly and slowly walk over to Edelgard. She tried to stop her but forgot that this wasn't real and so Future Byleth passed through her, and slowly raised her sword high above her head, and Byleth noticed something different about Future Byleth.** _

_**Were those… tears in her eyes? Did she learn how to cry?** _

" _ **I wanted… to walk with you."**_

" _ **NOOOOOOO!"**_

_**Byleth reached out and tried to stop Future Byleth from killing her, but there was nothing she could do. But when the sword connected with Edelgard's head, everything went white and Byleth clutched her head, dropping the sword in the process.** _

_**When the pain subsided, she realised that they were in the same room. But something was different. Dimitri was there now, and was walking up to Edelgard, and Byleth noticed how different he looked from the first vision. He didn't look crazy and manic anymore. She saw Future Byleth stand behind him and he extended a hand towards Edelgard who looked up at him.** _

_**No words were exchanged and Byleth noticed something in Edelgard's hand which she then threw at Dimitri. But as quick as a flash, Dimitri stabbed her in the throat with his Ki lance and grunted loudly in pain mixed with disappointment. He watched Edelgard flop to the ground as he pulled out a dagger from his shoulder and dropped it on the ground. Byleth placed a hand on her chin and rubbed it in thought.** _

" _ **So Edelgard is the key to this future? Every vision involves her death?"**_

_**Then Byleth clutched her head again and screamed, falling to her knees as everything went white once more. When she opened her eyes, they were in a different place. Ruins were around her, and fire was everywhere.** _

_**Suddenly, she whipped her head around to hear a loud roar and saw a giant beast in front of her Future self and….. Edelgard?** _

_**Wait a minute. They're working together now? So there's a path to which they are together?** _

" _ **GIVE IT BACK!"**_

" _ **Wait… that's Rhea's voice…"**_ _ **Byleth said as she looked at the giant beast. She knew something was off about the Archbishop but nothing to this extent.**_

" _ **When humanity stands strong and people reach out for each other, there's no need for gods! Rhea, your reign of tyranny is over!" Edelgard stated as Rhea just breathed out, having no energy to retort.**_

_**Tyranny? Rhea? Byleth thought she was a little strange sometimes, but she feels like she's missing a lot of context for this situation. The other two visions before this were easy to understand but not this one.** _

_**Future Byleth looked to Edelgard and nodded to her as she nodded back. "The time has come."** _

_**Rhea did one last attack and charge up a ball of fire before spewing fire down their path as they both dodged it and ran towards her.** _

" _ **I am ending this once and for all!" Edelgard screamed as she and Future Byleth jumped towards Rhea's headband slammed their weapons down on her head, killing her instantly as the beast collapsed to the ground, green blood oozing out of the wound. Everything was silent.**_

" _ **Is it… is it over?" Edelgard whispered before she noticed Future Byleth collapsed and fainted. Something Byleth wasn't expecting to happen.**_

_**Was she dead? Edelgard noticed how there was no pulse on her and her grip on the sword loosened causing it to fall on the hard stone. Edelgard bowed her head and started crying, something Byleth never saw her student do.** _

_**But then she saw her future self change. Her hair slowly turning back to it's original colour of blue, and Edelgard hearing something in her chest and started laughing to herself and hugged Future Byleth crying happily.** _

_**Everything was now frozen in place as Byleth watched the scenery slowly zoom out and be with the other two she saw. Like three distinct paintings.** _

" _ **They are the paths that I took."**_

_**Byleth slowly turned to see her future self standing there, clothes disheveled and panting, while bearing some new cuts than the last time they met.** _

" _ **I don't understand, how did this happen?" Byleth asked as she looked at the three visions before her. Future Byleth just laughed a little and shook her head.**_

" _ **You won't remember much after this, so I will tell you. There will come a time where you have to choose a path. Those include fighting for the Church, fighting for the Kingdom of Faerghus, fighting for the Leicester Alliance, or fighting for the Adrestian Empire."**_

_**That's when Byleth turned to her Future self again. "When we last met, you told me to break the cycle. What did you mean by that?"** _

" _ **I'm sure you realise how it is that I know about these different outcomes. We have lived this countless times. But it all ends the same way…"**_

_**Byleth was confused now as she walked towards her future self. "What do you mean?"** _

_**That's when a force threw Byleth back and she heard a voice coming from somewhere which made Future Byleth freeze in fear.** _

" _ **FINALLY… I HAVE FOUND YOU…"**_

" _ **There isn't time!" Future Byleth yelled, drawing her sword and powering up. "The next time we meet, I will explain more! Now go! GO!"**_

" _ **No wait!" Byleth yelled stretching her hand out but found reality around her shattering. And she frantically tried looking around before she realised she was in a black void once more.**_

* * *

"Professor! Are you okay?"

"Hey Teach! Snap out of it!"

Byleth blinked as she realised that they were back in the Holy Mausoleum and everybody looked at her strangely. She then noticed a newly healed Catherine had run downstairs with the Knights of Seiros and looked confused at what happened.

"Kid, you've been staring at that thing for a while, are you okay?" Jeralt asked as Byleth suddenly felt light headed and collapsed to the ground, sword still in hand. Everyone was now alarmed and ran to her.

"Professor!"

"Teach!"

"Get her to Manuela now!"

"Round up any survivors!"

"Oh please be okay…

* * *

" _ **Wake up already!"**_

_**Byleth groaned as her eyes fluttered open once more and found herself in the familiar black void once again, and wondered if she was having another vision. But then she heard a voice she was glad to hear.** _

" _ **Finally… you really worried me." She turned around to see Sothis sitting on her throne, brows furrowed as she sat up. "Your mind completely closed off when you touched that sword. I couldn't communicate with you or anything. What in the world happened?"**_

_**Byleth was about to respond but frowned deeply as no memories were available to view. She just shook her head. "Just break the cycle…"** _

_**Sothis also frowned and rubbed her chin while closing her eyes. "It seems our little mystery is getting deeper each day. Between my memories and your fainting spells, we are quite the odd pair aren't we? But more importantly, are you ok?"** _

" _ **I think so." Byleth replied, as her tail wrapped round her wrist before she pulled it away, and let it swing about naturally. "Just a sore head. Whatever happened, that sword is connected."**_

" _ **Yes, I got hit with a wave of nostalgia when you touched it. It's like it's a part of me…"**_

_**But then Sothis smiled and clapped her hands together. "Well, it is time for you to wake up. I promise that we will sort out our little mysteries together. Right?"** _

" _ **Right…"**_

* * *

Byleth groaned softly and slowly sat up, rubbing her head as she was in the bed of the infirmary. Manuela noticed her waking up and smiled.

"Hello dear, welcome back to the land of the living. You gave everyone quite the scare."

"How long… have I been out for?"

"Oh just a couple of hours." Manuela replied, pouring herself a drink. "Though your ailment is a mystery to me. The only logical conclusion I could draw up was stress crashing down on you. Unless you can help me out?"

Byleth looked down and frowned. "I'm afraid… I cannot. I have no memory of what happened, I touched that sword and then everything went white."

"Curious… well, if you will just give me a minute, I will perform some checks on you to see if you are fit to be discharged."

Manuela picked up some tools and placed them on a tray before carrying it over to Byleth's bed and sat on a chair now starting the tests. They involved testing her temperature, looking at her pupils, and once Manuela was happy with the results, she got Byleth to stand up and do some balancing tests such as lifting a leg and touching her nose at the same time. Lastly, she asked Byleth to walk to one end of the room and come back to the spot. Manuela nodded and looked at her sheet of paper, before looking at Byleth.

"Okay, you seem to be fine. There's no lasting ailments… aside from your lack of a heartbeat, but Professor Jeralt informed me how you've had that since birth. You are free to go."

"Thank you. I apologise for troubling you."

"Oh don't be silly, I'm just doing my job." Manuela laughed, before smirking at her and shaking her empty glass. "But you could treat me to a drink at some point."

"Oh? Sure, just tell me when and I'll do that." Byleth said, not expecting something that easy.

"Fantastic! Oh, and be sure to visit your father, he was wanting to talk to you."

"Right… thank you…"

With that, Byleth quickly grabbed her coat and slung it over her shoulders and walked up to her fathers room and was surprised to see him talking to Shamir who had her familiar cup of tea. He stood up once he heard her come in.

"Hello dad. I am okay now-"

She stopped as he hugged her tightly and sighed stroking her hair. "Don't you ever worry me like that again kid. It's one thing to be recovering from injuries, but when you collapse out of nowhere, that's when I assume the worst. Are you definitely okay?"

Byleth was stunned at the hug but slowly nodded, pumping a fist. "I am. I'm sorry that I worried you all. Did we…"

Shamir, having a hunch on what Byleth was asking, set her cup down and nodded. "We manage to wrangle up stragglers. Turns out they were from the Western Church. We sent them to be executed for their crimes."

But then she saw her friend stiffen at that and sighed. "Rhea gave the order. Not only were they the ones behind the plot, but they were also the ones responsible for convincing Lord Lonato to rebel. The amount of crimes-"

"That doesn't mean that they should be killed." Byleth interrupted, as her tail twitched in anger. "Sure, they committed crimes, but we shouldn't pass judgement on who lives and who doesn't."

"Kid, calm down." Jeralt grunted. "I may not like it either, but what's done is done. Don't forget that we are under Rhea's command while we are here."

Byleth was staring at the floor, but that's when Shamir spoke up. "There's more. That masked individual that you fought. He got away, and we have not seen him since."

"Though while Rhea prefers this to be a open and shut case, this is still bugging me." Shamir continued, rubbing her chin. "It makes no sense for the Western Church to pull something like this."

"Suppose it just proves that the Church isn't as united as you may think." Jeralt grunted, folding his arms. "The church is lead by those here, while the Western Church seems to have always hated the fact that the church is ruled centrally at Garreg Mach."

"The Western Church…" Byleth frowned, confused on the naming conventions and Jeralt sighed.

"That's right, I forgot I raised you without any knowledge of the Church."

"Where in the world were you taking her growing up?" Shamir asked, astonished at that fact. She may not be from Fódlan, but even she knew about the church. She then shook her head and decided to help explain to the clueless Byleth.

"Basically, to be more efficient, the church split into several smaller groups. The Central Church is the largest and it leads the organisation right here."

"The Western Church is around Castle Gaspard, where Lonato made his rebellion." Jeralt continued, scratching his head. "It's near the Kingdom's strongest fortress known as Arianrhod. If I had to imagine, I'd say the whole point of the Western Church's mission was to Eliminate Rhea and with that, the Central Church's authority."

"Except they focused most of their efforts below the Monastery."

Both Shamir and Jeralt looked at Byleth who was adjusting her wrist braces. "You saw it yourself. They were more interested in the Holy Mausoleum. And what was in that coffin…"

"You're right. This isn't making any sense." Shamir commented, pinching the bridge of her nose to quell an approaching headache. "But what's done is done. Though I have to admit, you've surprised me yet again Byleth."

Byleth tilted her head as Shamir continued. "I may be from Dagda, but I grew up with knowledge of the Church of Seiros. But you? You didn't even know what it was when you came here."

"I would've preferred if we never came back." Jeralt said. "It's not exactly calming my nerves being here still."

Byleth was about to ask him what he meant by that, before they heard the door knock and Seteth entered, with his hands behind his back. "Miss Byleth, I was told that I would find you here. It seems that Lady Rhea would like a word with you. Come with me."

* * *

"The Archbishop lives." Lord Arundel scoffed as he was talking to the Flame Emperor in the middle of a field somewhere. "Not that I had ever placed much faith in those swine from the Western Church."

"I have news. Both good and bad." The Flame Emperor stated. The remains of Seiros were not in the tomb. However, something else was. The Sword of the Creator."

"Ah, the weapon wielded by that thief, the King of Liberation." Lord Arundel chuckled to himself while under the mask, the Flame Emperor bit the inside of it's cheek to prevent lashing out.

"Thief? Hm. At any rate, it is now in the hand's of Byleth Eisner. She is very powerful and-"

"I am fully aware of Miss Eisner and her abilities. Considering we have fought someone like her in the past."

He could see the Flame Emperor wanted to know more but smirked to himself. "Back on topic."

"Hm. Very well. I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that the Crest Stone had already been removed from the sword when it was found."

Arundel frowned and nodded. "Hmph. As expected. It would be foolish to keep both in the same location."

"There's more." The Flame Emperor replied. "Byleth Eisner was able to awaken the sword's true power. Even without the Crest Stone, the sword glowed red. Byleth Eisner's Crest is compatible. There is no mistaking it."

Arundel just shook his head and frowned. "Absurd. Using a Relic without it's Crest Stone should be impossible. The King of Liberation's bloodline should not even… Hmm."

The Flame Emperor continued it's report. "They should be allowed to keep it, for now. I do not have enough information about Byleth Eisner to act."

That's when the Flame Emperor was silent for a moment. Which Arundel noticed. "You seem like you want to say something. Well, out with it."

"As for your request… I assent. The Death Knight is yours to command. Use him well."

"There, was that so hard?" Arundel smirked, knowing that behind that mask was an irritated look. "And I believe you brought your Vassal to our ranks too. You have proven yourself worthy of coming into our cause. Be sure that you do not waste this opportunity. And how do you plan on getting Hubert von Vestra out of the Academy?"

"You leave that up to me. I have a plan."

Arundel let out a dark chuckle as he walked away. "Good. I believe I will enjoy this a great deal…"

The Flame Emperor watched him teleport away as dark magic enveloped it's armour and Edelgard stood in place with her training outfit still on. She looked at her scarred hands and clenched them at the thought of punching her uncle in the face.

"It is done?"

She turned to see Hubert standing there with his hands behind his back. She slowly nodded. "You know of the plan?"

Hubert nodded back as Edelgard sighed. "Thank you."

He smirked and bowed. "Anything for you, Lady Edelgard."

"Well then… let's do it."

* * *

Byleth was standing in front of Rhea, who smiled widely at her. "I cannot thank you enough for defeating those invaders in the Holy Mausoleum, and especially for protecting the Sword of the Creator. It seems that I was right to place trust in this Task Force."

She looked at Byleth who was looking at the sword Rhea was holding. "This sword is one of the Heroes' Relics and the most precious guarded artefact in the church's possession. But it is also a weapon of terrifying power."

Rhea then smiled and held the sword out to her. "For now… I will entrust the sword to you. Please, use it wisely."

This angered Seteth greatly and he wheeled around to glare at the Archbishop. "Lady Rhea, wait! Do you truly mean to give the Sword of the Creator to this stranger?! Surely it is not the sort of thing one hands over so readily, even to someone who has the ability to wield it! If someone like Nemesis were to appear again, all of Fódlan would be consumed by war!"

A sharp pain rang through Byleth's head as she rubbed it and asked. "Nemesis? Who is that?"

Seteth turned his attention back to Byleth and explained. "Nemesis, the King of Liberation. He is an ancient king of mankind who was defeated by Seiros over a thousand years ago. When Fódlan was attacked by wicked gods, it is said that the goddess gifted Nemesis with the Sword of the Creator. Nemesis used that sword to defeat the wicked gods, saving all of Fódlan. Henceforth he was dubbed the King of Liberation."

Seteth then closed his eyes and shook his head. "However, his power began to corrupt him until he, himself, turned to the darkness. Saint Seiros was forced to destroy him."

He looked back at Rhea who still held the sword out and had a glazed look over her face, as if remembering something. "Lady Rhea, I beg you to reconsider. Given a little more time, we could more accurately assess this stranger's abilities."

Rhea just shook her head and smiled. "No I have faith Seteth. Faith that our friend here will not be corrupted by wickedness. Since the death of Nemesis, none have been able to wield the Sword of the Creator. Now, after all those long years of being sealed away, it has returned and found a new master."

But before Rhea could continue, Byleth just stared at her. "I don't want it."

The room fell deathly silent as Rhea just stared back, unblinking as she tried to comprehend what Byleth just said, the sword trembling in her grip. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"I don't want it. I was never one for swords, I prefer close combat. And should I ever need weapons, I could just make them. So you keep it."

Rhea was at a loss for words. She was not expecting this outcome as she tried to form words. "I can…. Keep it?! B-But you must!"

"Lady Rhea?" Seteth asked, now a little concerned at this change of behaviour.

"B-B-Besides, one more t-thing." Rhea stammered, as her eyes turned to slits for a split second, which sent Seteth on edge. "Y-You are the most powerful person in this Monastery, so who better to guard it?"

"I suppose I can not argue with that…" Byleth mumbled but gasped as the sword who shoved against her.

"Then take it! I insist!"

Byleth looked down and blew out a breath, hoping those images wouldn't flash in her mind again. But when she grabbed the hilt, nothing happened. It was safe to take.

But both she and Seteth took note of Rhea's strange behaviour just then as Rhea collected herself. "I will have a new mission for you tomorrow. Come back in the morning for a briefing. You are dismissed."

Byleth frowned and slowly stepped away from her and left the room as Seteth turned to Rhea.

"What in the world was all that about?! You have been acting strange lately Archbishop, and I want to know why."

"You are dismissed."

"But-"

"Leave!"

He made a face but slowly bowed to her and turned around. "Very well, Lady Rhea."

Rhea let loose a shaky breath as Seteth exited the room. "Mother… we are so close."

* * *

Outside the Audience Chamber, Seteth passed Byleth and looked at her. "Well there you have it, Miss Byleth. See that you do not betray the trust the Archbishop has seen fit to bestow upon you."

With those parting words, Seteth left and Sothis appeared next to Byleth rubbing her chin. ' _The Sword of the Creator, The King of Liberation. Each tale is more confusing than the last! And I really can't read that Rhea at all…_ '

"Her Ki was all over the place during that exchange…" Byleth muttered to which Sothis nodded.

' _And that sword is clearly precious… So why is she so keen to gift the thing to you?_ '

Both of them stared at the sword in Byleth's hand and Sothis sighed. ' _I feel as though we have become entangled in a mystery… and there is one more thing that has been plaguing me._ '

She floated down and traced the hilt with her fingers. ' _The Sword of the Creator… It somehow feels distinct from other Relics we have seen. Such as the one that…_ '

Sothis groaned loudly scratching her head. ' _Oh goodness, what was her name? Cat… Ca….._ '

"Catherine?" Byleth said, still looking at the sword as her tail twitched.

' _Yes, her! The Sword of the Creator is different from her Thunderbrand in one key way._ '

She pointed to the hilt where a giant hole sat in it. ' _It bears a hole… where something should have been. But is no more._ '

Sothis growled loudly and clutched her head. ' _I despise not knowing what's going on! Your heritage, my memories, your visions and now this? It frightens me… and yet, I have to place my trust in you. I must. Whatever comes to pass, please cut a path that is your own._ '

"I will." Byleth replied as she sheathed the sword. "I suppose I should train on how to use this thing, shouldn't I? Especially with our foes out there…"

' _Hmmmm, yes. That certainly would be wise. Make use of the gift given to you._ '

Sothis then yawned loudly and smacked her lips. ' _You go ahead and do that… I'm going to… rest…_ '

Byleth frowned after hearing that and couldn't sense Sothis anymore. She then looked at the sword in her hand and sighed.

"Well, let's get started…"

* * *

A couple of days had passed since that day, and right now Byleth was training with the sword in the training arena. And she was surprised how easily she was adapting to using a weapon. It even helped to use it with her Ki attacks. But then she saw Jeralt running up to her, looking really angry. "We gotta go. Now."

"What, why? What's going on?"

"…Hubert is being arrested. For plotting against the Empire."

* * *

"Hubert, I can't believe that you would do this! You were my Vassal!" Edelgard cried out, looking at the scene before her.

Hubert had magic linked cuffs on his wrists as two armoured Empire generals were on either side of him. He looked at the Black Eagles before him who were a mixture of shocked and angry.

"Hubie… plotting to kill Edelgard… how could you?" Dorothea whispered while hugging Edelgard tightly and Edelgard hugged back, not baring to look at him.

"I must say Hubert, I am very disappointed in you." Ferdinand said, shaking his head while trying to keep a straight face. But his eyes showed clear betrayal at the man. "Our job was to help Edelgard grow! So she could be a better Emperor!"

"Oh spare me your drivel." Hubert scoffed and glared at Edelgard. "She is weak. Not fit to take the throne. I was merely doing the Empire a favour by killing her. If only I wasn't caught-"

"SHUT UP!" Caspar screamed punching him right in the face, his fists trembling with fury as Hubert fell to his knees, shocking the Black Eagles. The other Empire guards stood in front of Hubert and aimed their lances at Caspar.

"Do not harm the prisoner, or you will join him!"

"Bring it!" Caspar yelled, his aura flaring up around him. "I'll take you all on! I won't rest until he's paid for what-"

"Caspar. Enough."

Caspar felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Jeralt. He lowered his eyes and slowly powered down looking away. "Very well."

Jeralt looked at Hubert and shook his head. "Anything you have to say?"

"Nothing. I do not regret what I planned." Hubert replied.

"…Take him away."

"Right, get moving!" One of the guards snapped shoving him away to the entrance.

"I-I knew he was scary but…" Bernadetta whispered hugging herself. "I didn't think he would…"

"Unfortunately, some people like to hide their true intentions. You never truly know people." Linhardt replied, before yawning. "Anyway, I'm off to bed. Too much excitement for one day."

"Are you okay, Edelgard?" Petra asked as Dorothea kept hugging the Princess.

"I will be… I suppose it just proves that I can't trust anyone…"

"Don't be silly!" Dorothea yelled. "We will never betray you!"

Edelgard let out a small smile and nodded. "Thank you."

But Byleth noticed her staring out into the distance to where Hubert was taken away and frowned. ' _Was that the reason for the assassination plot? No… that can't be right… I'll need to investigate further._ '

* * *

Hubert kept a straight face as he was lead out of the Monastery and to the top of a hill. He sighed and shook his head before he heard a voice that made him growl.

"Well now, I must admit, I wasn't too keen on the theatrics but I did have a good laugh."

Hubert looked at Thales who appeared before him and the two guards who escorted him were getting covered in black flames before changing into black robes. He simply just held up his wrists. "My cuffs."

"Yes, yes. I shall remove them."

Thales held out his hand as a black aura enveloped it and snapped the cuffs off. Hubert held his wrists as Thales chuckled. "This must be very tough for you. A puppy on it's own can be… frightened easily."

Hubert kept a straight face and bowed. "Anything Lady Edelgard requests, I shall do. My full services are in your hands now."

Thales grinned and nodded. "Well then. Let's get started on our plan."

This confused Hubert greatly. "What plan?"

"It's simple. We are going to use Byleth Eisner and her biology against her. Next month is the full moon. We need to be ready."

* * *

_**TEASER** _

_**Song: Doomsday (Doctor Who)** _

_**Byleth slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a dark void. But this felt different. Her body was enveloped in a black fog which prevented her from moving. Only her eyes and head weren't covered.** _

_**She looked into the distance and saw a series of figures who were standing in place with their eyes completely covered in shadow. She tried looking at a few of them.** _

_**A man in overalls with a red hat.** _

_**A yellow mouse.** _

_**A strange being wearing orange armour.** _

_**A blue creature with white gloves and red shoes.** _

_**A man with a blue tunic and a strange looking sword that seemed to glow in the darkness.** _

_**A green haired goddess.** _

_**A strange woman in a shimmery blue dress with a star creature.** _

_**A brown haired ape with a tie.** _

_**Those were just to name a few. Byleth couldn't make any sense of this at all.** _

_**But then she saw another woman. This one had white hair styled in twin pigtails. She wore a purple coat with eyeball designs on it and was holding a book with her arm outstretched.** _

_**What shocked Byleth more, was a familiar appendage. That woman had a tail! She was just like her?!** _

_**But then Byleth saw light to the right of her and slowly moved her head to see a bunch of figures next to her with no shadows over them.** _

_**A young man wearing a white mask and a black coat.** _

_**A warrior with a sword and long brown hair.** _

_**A brown bear and a red bird.** _

_**A man with a red cap and a ponytail** _

_**A girl with blonde hair, a mask on her eyes, and strange looking arms.** _

_**A giant potted plant.** _

_**Along with other figures she couldn't quite make out.** _

_**'What is going on? I don't understand…'** _

_**She then saw a pink puffball creature in front of her looking to the sky where a white ball of light got brighter and brighter. She tried to cover her eyes but everything went white.** _

_**Byleth snapped her head up and panted hard, waking up in a cold sweat while looking at her hands, noticing a strange flame aura around them before disappearing. She looked down at the covers on her bed and frowned in the dark.** _

_**"What was that…"** _

_**Ashen Saiyan: World of Light** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry folks I'm not dead. Like I said though, updates will be slower due to my new job. But hey, at least I got this out.
> 
> So one thing. I noticed looking back on my published chapters that at a certain point all the chapters are in italics. Now, I've no clue why as the document I write these on aren't like that. Thankfully, it gets fixed with another upload so I'll need to edit some chapters. Apologies for that folks.
> 
> So yeah, another set of visions for Byleth. If you're confused about visualising how it works. Look up MLP: Friendship is Magic, Season 4 where Twilight drank the potion to look into the past. It's basically like that. Byleth is there in the future but nobody can see her.
> 
> I was a little iffy on this chapter, mostly because I never think I'm doing enough, especially with the fight scenes. But hey, gotta try right? And of course I had to have Lysithea fight the Death Knight as that would be silly not to.
> 
> So yeah, Hubert is out. Well, not really. He will serve an important role for Edelgard to pave her way to her golden path by helping her discover the truth.
> 
> Join us next time where we will be doing something a little different. We will not be following the Miklan chapter. Something different.
> 
> And you saw a little teaser at the end for a possible sequel I want to do. This’ll not happen for a long time though. 
> 
> But please review, let me know what you think and I’ll catch you later!


	16. Chapter 16

Part 1: White Clouds

Tales of Garreg Mach

" _It's got to be around here somewhere. Come on, come on, where did I put it?"_

_Jeralt was out next to a flowing river with the moon shining down on him as he rummaged through a rucksack, checking it's contents. He and his band of Mercenaries known as the 'Blade Breakers' had taken shelter in a little village. Remire Village to be exact. This was a place they went to many times to rest up before taking on new contracts, but tonight was different. They were here simply to relax and have fun._

_But Jeralt wanted to get a spot of fishing done with this moment of peace that was bestowed upon him. Usually he would get Byleth to come with him. But tonight was different. She was asleep tonight._

_Or at least, she was supposed to be._

" _Father, you forgot your fishing rod."_

_He turned around, surprised that Byleth was still up and extending a fishing rod towards him. He smiled and walked over to her, taking it out of her hands and ruffled her hair. "Thanks kid. But you should be sleeping. Why are you up?"_

" _I apologise." Byleth said, bowing to her father. "When you were leaving, I saw that you had left it. I will be returning to my bed now."_

" _Alright kid, have a good sleep." Jeralt replied still looking through his bags._

_But that's when he heard Byleth speak again. "Amazing. I've never seen the full moon before. It's beautiful."_

_Jeralt just chuckled. "Yeah the full moon is a great sight-"_

_Wait._

_The full moon?_

_That's when he remembered something Sitri told him back when she was alive. Something that slipped out of his mind. Something very, VERY important._

* * *

" _When a Saiyan looks at the full moon, they become the mighty Oozaru." Sitri said while sipping her tea. "A powerful beast who destroys everything in it's wake."_

" _Jeez, that sounds scary." Jeralt muttered. "Should we be worried about you?"_

" _Don't be silly." Sitri replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I know not to look at it. You don't need to worry about me transforming. Besides, I know how to control the form. The biggest danger is a Saiyan who has never done it before. Because they lose their mind."_

* * *

_Shit._

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_

" _Kid! Kid! Don't look at it!" Jeralt yelled sprinting towards Byleth who was just standing there, staring up at the moon._

" _Byleth! Are you listening?! Take your eyes off of it!"_

_He screamed her name again and grabbed her shoulders to turn her around, but he gasped when he saw what happened._

_Byleth was just standing there. Twitching. Her mouth slightly agape. But what was even more terrifying were her eyes. Instead of her usual sapphire blue colour, they were now a hollow pink. Even her pupils. Like she was possessed._

_Jeralt realised at that moment that he couldn't stop this from happening. There was really one thing he could do at this point._

_Warn the village and get them out of there._

" _I'm sorry kid…"_

_With that, he started sprinting to Remire Village as Byleth's eyes then turned blood red and her teeth became sharp and bigger._

* * *

" _ALERT! ALERT! EVERYBODY GET UP! COME ON BLADE BREAKER'S, UP AND AT 'EM! EMERGENCY!"_

_Jeralt was frantically banging on doors and getting his group up out of their beds. It didn't help that they had all been drinking the night away and weren't too in the mood for whatever their boss was waking them up for._

" _Come on boss, what is the big idea?" One Mercenary asked, still feeling the effects of the alcohol._

" _Listen Floyd! You are going to evacuate everybody out of here! The rest of you, on me! We have a monster approaching!"_

_The band of Mercenaries just looked very unimpressed as one named John stepped forward. "Captain, is this some kind of joke? A training exercise? Because involving us is bad enough, but you're expecting the village to get involved in this too?"_

" _What are you talking about? Do I look like I'm joking?!"_

" _Well…" A healer named Hellen yawned, brushing her orange bangs out of her face. "There was the time you gave us practice sessions in the case of an emergency, claiming there were giant wolves coming for us. But more importantly, no monsters have ever been spotted around these parts. Are you sure you're okay Captain?"_

" _Guys, I am not playing around! Now quickly before-"_

_ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!_

_Everyone froze in place as a giant shadow loomed over the village as Hellen looked up, clutching her staff and couldn't believe her eyes. "By the Goddess…."_

_It was a giant ape, with brown fur and piercing, glowing red eyes. It's teeth firmly clenched as it growled loudly and roared into the night sky._

_Floyd was frozen in place for a second before he snapped out of his trance and turned to the villagers. "EVERYBODY MAKE YOUR WAY OUT NOW! WE NEED TO EVACUATE!"_

_Panic ensued as the villagers scrambled to run away with Floyd trying his best to keep them under control. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stayed next to Jeralt and drew their weapons._

_Hellen looked over to Jeralt and tried to stay calm. But then her eyes widened. "Wait, where's Byleth? She's in-"_

" _Let's worry about her later, she's fine!" Jeralt snapped as he looked at the rampaging monster currently walking towards the village. "Everyone! Draw it away from the village! We don't stand a chance against it in a fight, so just try to divert it's attention away so it can't destroy any houses or farms! Understand?"_

_John got on his Wyvern and nodded. "Got it Captain!"_

_Hellen blew out a breath and narrowed her eyes. "Understood!"_

_Jeralt meanwhile, closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. 'Forgive me kid. But this is for your own good.'_

* * *

"Amazing! You possess the Crest of Flames! I knew I recognised the symbol, but nobody has possessed that Crest ever since Nemesis!"

Byleth was currently in Professor Hanneman's office as he stared at the symbol presented in his analyser. "Absolutely fascinating! You must allow me to experiment further! A Crest this valuable is but an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"I will… think about it." Byleth replied before standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be visiting Lady Rhea. She has a new mission for me."

"Oh yes, of course! Do not allow me to keep you waiting! I'll just be over here studying!"

"Right…"

As Byleth left the office, Sothis appeared beside her, shaking her head. ' _That man is a little too excited for my liking. Not to mention his lack of personal space. What's so important about Crests anyway?_ '

"I'm not too sure…" Byleth muttered while staring at the back of her hand. This was a strange start to her month. Not only could she wield a Relic, but now she learned that she possessed a Crest that hasn't been around for centuries. "I wouldn't say I'm special…"

' _Coming from the girl who has a tail, no heartbeat, is able to eat an entire cafeteria, can blow up mountains with her own hands. Am I missing anything else?_ '

Then Sothis saw the sad look on Byleth and sighed, floating down to her. ' _Hey, I'm sorry. But whether you like it or not, you are special. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth. Have you had any more visions lately?_ '

Byleth just shook her head as she stood outside the doors leading to Lady Rhea. "Thankfully not. My head hurts when I have those visions. I'm not looking forward to this. I don't know why, but Rhea scares me."

' _Hmmm, yes she has been acting odd around you. That little moment yesterday especially drove that point home. But it is like Jeralt said. She is your boss, and you need to put up with her._ '

"Yes, I know…" Byleth then took a deep breath and opened the doors. She was surprised to not only see Rhea and Seteth, but also see Claude standing there and he smiled.

"Sup Teach! Seems we will be spending time together this month."

Rhea's face lit up when she saw Byleth walk through as she clasped her hands. "Ah, Byleth I'm glad you were able to come by on short notice. I apologise for my… little outburst yesterday. It seems even stress doesn't evade the Archbishop."

"Think nothing of it, Lady Rhea." Byleth replied, adopting a persona just like Jeralt did when it came down to business. "Now, you said you had a new mission for me? Will Task Force 141 be involved? Though Claude said how we would be together?"

Rhea just shook her head and smiled. "No, no. This month is a simple one. I wish for you to accompany the Golden Deer house on their mission to the Alliance. They had sent a request for help last week and I figured who better to do that than those of their own kind. And I decided that having you along will make sure nothing will go wrong."

Byleth didn't look too happy about this, for one good reason. Hanneman. But as if sensing her thoughts, Seteth stepped forward.

"I will see to it that Professor Hanneman shall respect your personal space. Though it is not the first time I had to have this talk with him… nonetheless, this will be a strictly professional venture. We do not feel like it is necessary to send in the Task Force."

"What about Shamir and fath- Professor Jeralt?"

"Professor Jeralt has his class to take care of. And as for Shamir, we have sent her to try and collect more intel of this mysterious foe. You will be seeing her in and out of the Monastery this following month."

"I know I shouldn't need to tell you this." Rhea said, clasping her hands again and bowing her head. "But while we aren't expecting anything out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate to take action should the need arise. Any more questions?"

"Do we know what is happening in the Alliance?" Claude asked. "I've not heard any reports of attacks lately."

"It appears that there are frequent attacks from Almyrians." Rhea replied. "And it is getting too much for the Alliance to handle by themselves."

Byleth could've sworn for a split second, she saw Claude's face change. Like concern. Or anger. But in the blink of an eye, he had his usual smile. Rhea looked at both of them and asked if there was any other questions.

Byleth just shook her head as Rhea smiled again. "Then may the Goddess protect you. You are dismissed."

* * *

"Well Teach, I look forward to working with you this month." Claude said, winking at her. "Oh by the way, Edelgard wants us to meet her later on in the day. Seems to be something important."

"Do you know what it is about?" Byleth asked, to which Claude shrugged.

"She likes her secrets. Which is why she and I pair so well together."

Byleth and Sothis wouldn't say that, and from the looks of it, Claude wasn't being serious as he saluted with two fingers and walked off.

' _That boy sure is strange._ ' Sothis commented, while folding her arms. Byleth was inclined to agree on that part.

"At least he is not like Rhea."

' _Ugh, that woman gives me the creeps._ ' Sothis muttered. ' _I can't read her at all. Though, it seems that excitement never fails to find you in this place._ '

Byleth was nodding along, but Sothis noticed she had a faraway look in her eyes. ' _What are you thinking about?_ '

"The Death Knight." Byleth replied, stopping in her tracks. "He said Lysithea was interesting… if he wants to fight me, then that's fine. But I will not allow him to attack any of the students."

' _Indeed. You had trouble with him at first. It's like you said, he looked to have just started using that crystal, so he wasn't used to the power. I have a feeling that the next time we meet him, we won't be as lucky._ '

But then Sothis turned to Byleth and smiled. ' _But worry not! You are very good at pushing yourself past your limits. I'm sure you'll be ready, no doubt in my mind._ '

"…Thank you Sothis." Byleth replied as the spirit beamed.

' _Look at that! There's a smile!_ '

That's when Catherine showed up and slapped Byleth on the back, and promptly tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her hand as she grinned nervously, hiding her hand behind her back. "Hey Byleth! You up for some training today? I saw that you were practicing using your Relic and figured, why not help you out? Comrades have to help each other right?"

"I would like that very much." Byleth said smiling lightly at her as the woman grinned.

"Then let's not waste any time! Come on, there should be some rookies we can torture!"

Catherine stopped and turned to Byleth. "I'm joking."

But then grinned again and walked away. "It'll be a bloodbath."

'… _Why are we still here?_ ' Sothis asked.

"I'm not sure…"

* * *

"Do you feel a little better Edie?"

Edelgard was currently seated in the gardens, isolated from the rest of the Monastery and sharing tea with Dorothea. The Princess just gave a smile in return. "I am. It was a wonderful idea to invite me to tea. You even brought me my favourite."

A simple giggle was the Songstress's response. "Oh Edie, of course I would pull out all the stops for you. But I am glad to see that you are happier."

It was true. Edelgard was happier lately. But for one reason. Her plan worked! She managed to get Hubert to join her uncle right from under his nose! And now, Hubert can help her discover the secrets behind the dark crystals. Though she had to admit, she would miss him constantly supervising her. But then again, the future Empress was more than capable of taking care of herself. Especially nowadays.

So Edelgard brought the cup to her lips and smiled. "I am happier. Thank you."

But then Edelgard had a question of her own to ask. "How are you? Are you still having nightmares?"

Dorothea's bright smile slowly faded as she stared at her cup. "Not so much nowadays. But I still have them. I have counselling sessions with Seteth. He helps me try to make sense of them. Oh, I just I wish I was as strong as Miss Byleth or you-"

"I'm not strong."

Edelgard watched her classmate look at her with surprise as she looked at her own cup. "It's just something that I have to act like I am. But ever since that day in Remire Village, I've learned that I am just a grain of sand in a vast beach."

"Yes, this whole Ki business is certainly something to behold." Dorothea replied. "Thank the Goddess that you have Miss Byleth to help you on your way because who knows how much damage you can do."

"I feel it." Edelgard replied looking at her vastly scarred hand. "The potential inside of me… it scares me. Could I possibly have the power to destroy a whole mountain with one hand? Would that spell destruction for all of Fódlan?"

"Well, that's all up to you, isn't it Edie?" Dorothea said winking. "Do you want to help people, or become a nasty destroyer of lands?"

' _I know which one I have to be._ ' Edelgard thought to herself with a grim look. ' _…Right? I need to do this. For the sake of Fódlan… so why am I hesitating?_ '

Thankfully Dorothea cut her out of her thoughts with a bright smile. "Now let's get on the topic of cuties around the Monastery. I've been looking at Petra doing her training lately and it's just adorable the way she scrunches her nose when she spare!"

"You… watch Petra train?"

Dorothea just nodded. "Yes, though she requested that I watch her. She prefers having an outside observer watch her so I can look at mistakes that she can't see. But may I say that your training has made you so strong! Just look at yourself!"

Edelgard didn't really think about being strong. But when she looked at her arms she saw more muscle on them. And she put her hands on her belly and realised that she lost some of the fat that made it's way there from too many sweets.

"You see? You're getting really buff Edie! Not like Raphael buff but more like Miss Byleth and Miss Shamir."

"Speaking of…" Dorothea slowly leaned forward smirking. "You like her don't you?"

Edelgard's cheeks lit up as she tried to hide in her cup. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh come on! You gave her that pendant when she left for her first mission! And none of us knew about it, despite you claiming it was a class effort. And don't think I haven't noticed the big smiles when she ruffles your hair."

"I-I-It is nice to be noticed for your efforts…" Edelgard tried to argue, but was quickly cut off.

"Except you say to Professor Jeralt that praise isn't necessary."

"L-Let's just change the subject." Edelgard muttered pouring herself another cup.

"Aww, you're no fun. But okay. What are the rest of the Task Force doing today?"

Appreciating her classmates respect for her personal boundaries, Edelgard smiled. "Well, we are done with our training for today, but I imagine most of them are still doing it anyway. But I know Dimitri has his counselling session today."

"I wonder how he is getting on…" Dorothea mused you herself sipping her tea.

* * *

"So Dimitri… tell me how you feel."

"Seteth, I really don't think this is-"

"Miss Byleth personally came to me and requested a counselling session for you. In her eyes, something is bothering you and it is getting in the way of your training." Seteth replied cooly, sipping at water. "So I ask again, how do you feel?"

Dimitri paused and frowned to himself. Was it that obvious? He tried his best to hide his pain from the world, but clearly he was doing a terrible job. And he felt bad that Byleth had to go out of her way to arrange this for him. He supposed that he might as well indulge in this in a way to help his mentor.

"I feel… trapped."

"Trapped?" Seteth asked, scribbling on a sheet of paper. "Is this caused by something?"

"Yes." Dimitri replied, as he closed his eyes. "The Tragedy of Duscur."

"Ah yes." Seteth murmured. "I am sorry for you to have gone through an event like that."

"I thank you for your sympathies." Dimitri said, smiling at Seteth before staring up at the ceiling. "But unfortunately, the dead have none for me."

"The… dead?"

The Prince just sighed. If anyone was going to listen, it would be his 'therapist'. Who knows, it may even help him. "Yes. I see them in every passing moment. My father, my stepmother, Glenn. They appear before me. Mocking me, taunting me, demanding I avenge them. Even right now, they are demanding I stop this foolish session and get back to getting vengeance."

Seteth was just silent as he continued to scribble. "And yet, you're staying. Why is that?"

"…Professor Byleth came to you about my well-being. The least that I can do is honour her request and try to see this to the end."

"Very good." Seteth smiled lightly. "Now, I know this will be difficult for you, so please go at your own pace. But tell me your memories of that event and how you felt. Again, at your own pace."

"…..Very well then." Dimitri said as he began to recount his experience.

* * *

"HAH!"

WHOOSH!

"TOO SLOW!"

BOOM!

"TRY THIS!"

Annette had the wind knocked out of her as she fell into the grass landing on her butt, as she rubbed it. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Then you should try better next time." Lysithea replied, adjusting her wristbands. The two spell casters decided to spend today by sparring with each other. They felt like they had to stick together as in the Task Force, they were the only mages.

Though their personalities often clashed which seemed to cause issues as Annette puffed her cheeks. "Jeez Lysithea, why the sour face? Did you eat some lemons for lunch?"

"No, I simply prefer to be at my best at all times. And I'm sure that you like that too." Lysithea cooly replied, but stopped when she saw Annette giggling. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that you look so cute when you're serious."

Lysithea stiffened and her face went bright red at that word. "I'M NOT CUTE! I AM A MAGE!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Annette said, trying to hide her smile. "Would you care to try again? I think I'm getting the hang of it this time."

"…Very well. Just know that I won't be going easy."

"That reminds me, how are you this strong with magic and Ki? I mean, you're younger than me and yet you're able to do stuff that even my old teachers back at school couldn't do."

Lysithea just froze in place as Annette couldn't help but notice pain behind those pink eyes. "Ummm Lysi? Are you okay?"

"…..I-I'm fine. I'm fine. I am just a hard worker, that's all…"

Annette could tell something was up. But she decided to not press the subject as the albino girl got in a stance, conjuring up a Ki ball and a dark orb.

"Well then, let's stop talking and throw fists! And maybe later we can get some cake together?"

A wide smile appeared on Lysithea as she smirked. "You had me at cake."

* * *

"Impressive Ashe." Ingrid breathed out, wiping the sweat off her brow as she leaned on her lance. "You're already overpowering me with your training. You must feel proud."

"Heh. Thanks Ingrid." Ashe smiled, rubbing the back of his head and trying to fend off the blush on his face. "Though I have a long way to go before I am up there with the others."

"Oh, stop it." Ingrid said, walking towards him. "Look at what you have accomplished, rather than looking to what everybody else has done. You've really impressed me Ashe."

"I-I have?"

"Mhm. I have no doubt in my mind that you would become a great knight."

"But don't you want to become a knight too, Ingrid?" Ashe asked, tilting his head. That's when an idea came to his mind. "Oh, I know! How about you learn Ki with us? I'm sure that Professor Byleth would say yes if we asked, and then we could both become great knights together!"

"I'm afraid not."

That was something that he wasn't expecting to hear. "I beg your pardon?"

Ingrid just had a sorrowful look in her eyes as she looked at her classmate. "Look Ashe, there is nothing I would love more than to be a knight and to serve his Highness. But unfortunately, I bear a Crest. And I have to think of my house. I am their last hope. I must marry and bear children and reinstate their status."

Ashe couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why would she throw her own life away doing something she doesn't even want to do? "But… you are allowed to have dreams too Ingrid…"

Ingrid just shook her head and smiled sadly. "Ashe. I must ask something of you."

"Yes, of course. Anything."

"This is a dream both of us share. To be a knight and protect people." She then turned away and looked down. "So please achieve that dream for both of us. Can you promise that?"

"But… that doesn't seem fair." Ashe frowned, fiddling with his training shirt.

"I'll never be able to see my dream through. Doing so would mean… terrible misfortune for others."

Ingrid turned back around and looked into Ashe's eyes. "So… I am bound by honour not to follow through on my own dreams. But… I can help you achieve yours… for both of us."

"Come on." Ashe said, feeling very confused on her words. "This isn't like you at all. Please… don't smile when your eyes are so sad."

Ingrid just took his hands and clasped them in her own. "Please. For me? Use this power for the good of our Kingdom and protect his Highness."

"But Ingrid-"

"Promise me!"

Ashe looked down and slowly sighed. "Very well. I promise. But wouldn't you want to at least learn Ki?"

Ingrid looked to her side and was rubbing her arm. Clearly he was stepping on uncomfortable grounds as she spoke up. "Ashe. While I am proud of you to be learning how to control this power… I must admit that… I am afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"That I'm so out of my depth here. Sometimes I wonder if the rest of us are even necessary. Like myself, Mercedes, Sylvain."

"What about Dedue?" Ashe asked to which Ingrid glared at him.

"What do you mean, what about him?"

Okay, he was definitely trudging on unfamiliar grounds. Maybe it was better to change the subject. "Of course you're necessary."

Ingrid, while thankful the subject was changed, just cling to her sleeves. "It's terrifying Ashe. We all saw what Miss Byleth did to that mountain. I was training in the courtyard when I saw that mountain get vaporised. I couldn't stop shaking. Nobody should have that kind of power."

Ashe couldn't relate to her feelings in that moment. After all, he was out cold during the course of that battle. But he does see his friends point about the scale of the power he held in his hands. "Perhaps you're right, Ingrid. But there are people out there who also have this power. And they're using it to cause destruction to Fódlan. I couldn't help Lonato back then. But Professor Byleth gave me an opportunity. To help people."

"…Then all the more reason for you to achieve your dreams. For both of us."

Ingrid then walked away, leaving Ashe all alone as he stared at his hands. "I will… but I'm not letting you give up on yours."

* * *

"Caspar. Is everything okay? You are being distraction."

Caspar and Petra were currently sparring, to which Petra kept on winning. She knew that something was off, because Caspar was better at hand to hand than she was. But she noticed how distracted he was lately whenever they paired up for sparring matches. He picked himself up and shook his head.

"No, no. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about. Let's continue with the training."

Petra nodded and took a stance. "Then I will not be worrying. Let's begin."

"Ugh! Fine!" Caspar yelled which startled Petra. "We can talk about it if you insist, you can stop pretending like you don't know."

Okay, this confused Petra greatly. Was this a Fódlan custom she was unfamiliar with? "What am I knowing?"

"About my father." Caspar replied which just confused Petra even further.

"Your father? He is of the military, in the Empire. I hear he has great skill."

"No, no, no, not that!" Caspar said before pausing briefly. "Well it's… kind of about that… I'm talking about when Dagda and Brigid invaded the Empire. My father lead the army that fended off the invaders. Your father was in that battle. Did you really not know? My father killed yours!"

Petra clenched her jaw. Not because of Caspar, not at all. But the memory of that war. She was only a child when those events took place, and she was taught just how unfair and dangerous the world of Fódlan was when her father did not return home.

"How… long have you had this knowing?"

"I just found out recently." Caspar replied, looking down. "I had no idea before then, but it's all I've been able to think about since…"

Petra was just silent at this point and turned her back on him. "So. Now you have the truth. I shall do meditation instead. Goodbye."

"Petra?" Caspar called putting to the Princess, but got no response from her and he just placed a hand on his head and sighed. "Damn it… now what am I supposed to do…"

"What's eating you up kid?"

He turned to see Jeralt approaching him. "Oh, hi Professor. It's just… Petra and I found out something from the time Dagda and Brigid invaded the Empire. And my father killed hers…"

Jeralt grunted as he uncorked his hip flask and took a swig. "It's best to give her some space for a while then. But listen, try not to let this get to you too much. You're not your father and Petra knows that."

"I know! But…"

Caspar had trailed off into silence as Jeralt sighed, putting his flask away. "It's actually a good job I found you here. You'll be with me today and learning discipline. You need to learn how to listen to orders and not just rushing in."

"…Is this about what happened back at the Rite of Rebirth? But I was protecting Ashe!"

"And in turn, you almost got yourself killed. Now come on."

Caspar slowly walked towards his Professor and decided it would be wise to listen. He just hoped Petra was okay.

* * *

"Now where in the world is that Claude?" Lorenz muttered, holding a stack of paper. "Honestly, he ruins my day by tasking me to gather supplies and mark them down, and he just runs off when I'm done! Honestly, this is not how our future leader should act."

But then he passed Hilda's room in the dormitory and heard a voice. A male voice. "Hilda, we've done it three times today."

"Oh, come on Claude! Just one more time! It's so good!"

A chill passed through the Noble's spine at what he heard. This couldn't be right at all! He must've just simply misheard them. But he couldn't stop himself from placing his ear on the door and listening in.

"It feels so good going up and down with you holding me! Never thought it would be that much fun!"

"Yeah it's certainly like that when I do all the work…"

"Oh hush, you like it too!"

' _Those two cannot be serious!_ ' Lorenz thought you himself as he started to panic. ' _Do they have any idea how much chaos the Alliance would be in if word got out about them engaging in intercourse?!_ '

But then a voice from behind him sounded. "You know, I thought Nobles were above spying on people, Lorenz."

He yelped in fright and turned to see Leonie standing there with her arms crossed and a very unimpressed look on her face. "And especially when it comes to spying on young girls."

"N-N-No it's not what you think!"

"Then why are you listening in on Hilda?" Leonie said dangerously, as she held out her hand and formed a Ki ball. "You better pray I like your answer."

"N-Now listen here!" Lorenz started to yell but went silent when the Ki ball got bigger. "I was simply passing by and heard noises and went to investigate and I stumbled upon a scandal!"

"A scandal."

"Yes! Claude and Hilda are engaging in intercourse!"

Leonie just raised an eyebrow and dispersed the Ki ball before sighing and pressing her thumb and finger to her temples. "Okay, what are you talking about?"

"Exactly that! Listen in if you don't believe me!"

While Leonie was not one to pry, especially on other people's privacy, she did admit that the idea of Claude and Hilda together amused her. Like it wouldn't surprise her at all if they were courting, considering how close they were. So she pressed her ear against the door and listened in.

"Wow, I can't believe how big it has gotten!"

"Come on Hilda, let's do it already. I'm meeting with their Highnesses soon."

"Okay, I'm ready whenever you are."

She quickly withdrew her head from the door and tried to fight off the blush that creeped up on her face. "Wow, I said I wouldn't be surprised but… wow."

"We need to stop them!" Lorenz exclaimed while Leonie just groaned.

"Just leave them be Lorenz. Whatever they do in their own time shouldn't concern us."

"But it is!" Lorenz retorted as he grabbed her shoulders. "Do you have any idea how the Nobles in the Alliance would react if they found out the future leader was fooling around with the little sister of a high ranking general?!"

"…I'm assuming it wouldn't end well?" Leonie asked while gently prying his hands away from her.

"It would end horribly! Forget about the drama that would come forth as well as those two possibly bringing shame to their house, but blackmail would be attempted on the two and possibly tension from both sides? And what if they were careless and Hilda became with child?!"

In Leonie's eyes, that would be perfect for Hilda. Being pregnant meant that she could get out of literally anything. But she and Claude were definitely too young for that.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't want that to happen to them." Leonie muttered and sighed loudly, rubbing her face. "Okay, okay. Let's stop them."

"Indeed! You break down the door!"

"…Why? Is the Nobleman afraid of putting in a little effort to open a door?"

"No, because you are the one who can bench press a carriage."

"…Oh, good point." Leonie said and got ready to barge the door and closed her eyes. She just hoped that she wouldn't see any of her classmates naked. She doubt she could look them in the eye anymore if that was the case.

So she rammed her shoulder into the door and it flung open before Lorenz stormed in. "Claude von Riegan and Hilda Valentine Goneril! I order you both to cease having intercourse before things get out… of… hand…"

Lorenz realised something very important when he stormed into the room. Claude and Hilda were not on her bed, they were fully clothed, and Hilda was high in the air laying horizontal only being supported by Claude's hand on her abdomen with her arms outstretched.

Claude simply looked up to his friend and raised an eyebrow. "Wait we were having sex? You should've told me Hilda, I would've put you down."

Oh.

Oh no.

He made a very big mistake.

Lorenz felt his resolve cracking as Hilda rolled her eyes. "You know that knocking exists right? And why in the world would you think we were having sex?"

Lorenz felt his mouth go dry as he was unable to form words. "B-Because I… well we… we heard…"

"You were talking about how… big Claude had gotten." Leonie piped in, trying her best to keep a straight face from Lorenz's embarrassment.

"Well look at his bicep!" Hilda exclaimed, now back on the floor as she squeezed his arm. "Look how muscular he is now! He can bench me with one hand! To be honest, I'm surprised you're not this muscular Leonie."

Leonie was just amused at the look of horror on Lorenz's face as he slowly turned around to leave. "Have we learned a lesson then?"

"…Do not assume things." Lorenz muttered as he slowly left the room while Claude just laughed.

"First time I've seen him make that face, gotta keep that in mind for the future." He said to himself as he also walked to the door. "Sorry to cut this short ladies, but I must be going now. It wouldn't be very 'Noble' of me if I kept their royal highnesses waiting."

"Awwww, do you have to leave?" Hilda whined, crossing her arms. "I was having fun…"

"Ah don't worry about it sweetheart." Claude winked. "I can bench press you any day of the week."

As he left, Hilda then turned to Leonie as she sported a dangerous look in her eyes. "So why did you break down my door? Do you think I am the kind of girl who has sex with anyone? Or did you talk sense into that knucklehead?"

Leonie froze in place as she realised she was caught in a bad position. "Ummmm…"

* * *

Seteth had lived for many years. He had been through a few wars. He even saw the rise and fall of his own people.

Yet, nothing prepared him for today as he just watched Dimitri, the Prince of Faerghus scream and yell.

"AND THEN WHEN I FIND WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE, I WILL CUT OFF THEIR HEADS AND PULL THEIR EYES OUT AND SHOVE THEM DOWN THEIR STOMACH'S TO SHOW JUST HOW GUTLESS THEY REALLY ARE!"

But then Dimitri blinked as he seemed to have recalled some sense into his mind, and he slowly sat back down with his head bowed. "…I apologise. Sometimes recalling that day brings up unwanted emotions."

"That is perfectly fine." Seteth replied, as he continued to write. "But it appears we have found something. That's progress at least. I would like to do this again next week if you do not mind."

In all honesty, Dimitri wanted nothing to do with this. This wasn't helping at all, all he wanted was to get stronger so he could kill the people responsible for that event.

But Byleth set this up for him, so he may as well try for her sake. "Very well. I accept."

"Excellent. Grab something to eat and drink Dimitri, you'll need it."

"I understand." Dimitri said, as he stood up and bowed. "Have a good afternoon."

As Seteth watched him leave, he sighed to himself. He wasn't sure how he missed this. It was so obvious that Dimitri was in pain. "Right. I should tell Miss Byleth the summary of these sessions."

* * *

Outside, Dimitri was taking deep breathes to calm himself down, not noticing that he bumped into a person before the scream caught his attention. He blinked out of his haze and realised it was Marianne.

"Oh Goddess, Marianne I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

He helped her off of the ground and he realised that he made her drop a bag of oats that she was carrying. But Marianne just shook her head. "You didn't have to help me up…"

"But I had to. It was my fault that you ended up on the ground." Dimitri responded as he picked up of what remained in the bag of oats. "Were you going to feed the horses?"

Marianne appeared to have brightened up at that question, as it was a subject she was passionate about as she smiled lightly. "Oh yes, Dorte loves oats, and I was going to feed her but… I'll need to go and get some more."

"Then allow me to accompany you." Dimitri said, holding out a hand. "As a way to apologise for making you lose them in the first place."

"…Why are you helping me? I'm not worth the trouble." Marianne muttered looking the other way and rubbing her arm.

"I disagree." Dimitri replied which surprised the shy girl as he gave her a smile. "It was because of me that you have to go back to the cafeteria, the least that I can do is help you with your task."

"…Okay then. I'll allow you to help… if it's not too much trouble…"

Dimitri smiled again and Marianne actually gave a small smile back. He knew that he had to meet up with Edelgard later on… but he could afford to take his time with Marianne.

He knew about her from Claude. How she felt like she was a curse to everybody around her. How she always blamed herself.

Perhaps she understood his pain better than Seteth.

* * *

WHACK!

"Oh come on!"

WHACK!

"Goddess dammit Byleth, time out! Time out!"

Catherine sighed as she slowly picked herself up, leaning on her training sword and panted. "Have to admit… you're picking up the sword better than I thought…"

"I always knew how to." Byleth replied as she twirled her sword. "Dad made sure I knew how to. But punching is better. It's a shame that the others couldn't handle us."

The two women looked over to a pile of unconscious guards with a bunch of them cowering in fear in a corner. Catherine scratched her head and chuckled nervously as a sweat drop formed on her head. "I think we went a little too hard on them. Sorry we couldn't give you a proper challenge."

"It's ok. I'm used to it."

Surprise was placed all over Catherine's face as she looked at Byleth who stared at her wooden blade. "The only one who could keep up with me was my dad. Shamir may be a good sparring partner, but even she knows how much I hold back. It's been like this since I was a kid."

"Yeah, I can see why. I mean, I saw you fighting back at Castle Gaspard." Catherine replied. "That was insane. You're definitely someone that I'm glad is on our side."

"Me too…" Byleth said. "But that fight… not just with Lonato, but that Goliath on my first mission… that was the first time I was excited. My life was on the line, yet I was wanting more… but I wonder if my power will be enough moving forward."

"Hey come on now." Catherine grinned putting her hand on Byleth's shoulder. "That's why you're teaching the brats how to use Ki. So you don't need to do it alone. Give them time, and they will catch up in no time and assist you in more ways than one! And you can count on me as well as Thunderbrand to help as well. The Goddess will bless all of us. I promise."

"…Thanks Catherine."

That's when an idea sprung into the blondes head as she grinned again. "Hey, Shamir is coming back this week to deliver what she has gathered and we're all going out for drinks, you wanna come with us?"

"All of us?"

"Yeah, the faculty members have a night out every few months or so. It usually ends with Manuela passed out on the floor but we have fun in the end. What do you say?"

Byleth pondered this. She never really went out of her way to go to a tavern, it was more like whenever the Blade Breakers stopped by at one, that's when she would have a beer or two. Though there was that one night…. that she hoped wouldn't be a repeat.

"Sure. I'll be happy to come."

"Awesome!" Catherine said, slapping her back and groaned loudly at her throbbing hand. "Seriously, are you made of steel?"

"No… just flesh. I'm human."

"No that's not what I… never mind."

The pair then heard a pair of footsteps behind them and saw Seteth approaching, and Catherine straightened. "Ah, Seteth. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, though I would like to discuss a matter with Miss Byleth alone if you don't mind."

"Oh. Of course." Catherine turned to Byleth and pumped a fist. "Let's spar again sometimes."

Byleth nodded in return as Seteth lead her away. "I assume this is about Edelgard and Dimitri?"

"Indeed." Seteth said, looking at his papers. "You did the right thing in bringing this to my attention. While I will not dwell on the details as that is strictly between myself and them. I will let you know there is progress. Though I fear that out of the two, Dimitri is the most damaged, not surprising considering what he had gone through."

He then stopped and looked at Byleth. "Edelgard meanwhile is more about a matter of philosophy. I have to admit, it's interesting to hear her views. But I sense damage under her exterior too. We will be doing these sessions more often so I would say a step in the right direction."

"Thank you Seteth." Byleth said as she looked up at the sky. "Speaking of Edelgard, I promised I would meet up with her. Is there anything else?"

"Not at all. I shall see you later Miss Byleth."

* * *

Edelgard was staring out at the allotment that they had tended to during their training and was surprised to see that it was starting to bear vegetables already. She theorised that's they should at least have some vegetables before the month was over. She was honestly proud of herself for contributing to it. Even if it ruined her fingers at first.

"Sup Princess."

She turned around to see Claude approaching her with a two fingered salute. "I'm surprised that you are the first one here."

"Dimitri is doing his therapy session and Teach was sparring with Catherine last I heard." Claude replied and grinned. "Besides, this gives us some alone time. But be careful, people might talk."

Edelgard just rolled her eyes but smiled in return when as if right on cue, Byleth and Dimitri had approached too with the Prince bowing.

"Forgive me Edelgard. I was helping out Lady Marianne and lost track of time."

"Not at all. I'm glad you are all here." Edelgard replied as she looked at her scarred arms. "Now… a question. For Dimitri and Claude. Do you remember what we talked about? That night before we went to Zanado? About… my past?"

A serious look passed over Dimitri and Claude as her story came back to them. Byleth however, was confused as Edelgard explained to her.

"I will keep it brief. But all my siblings died when I was young… and I still have nightmares of them suffering and me being unable to help."

Byleth had a sad look on her face. "That's awful."

"Thank you for your words Professor, but that's not why I called you all out here."

Edelgard looked at her scarred hands and remembered her times in that dark place. How it shaped her. How it set her motives. She took a deep breath and looked at the three. "None of my siblings had the chance to lead the sort of life they deserved. An ordinary life."

Nobody said anything as Edelgard continued to tell them of her past. "My siblings and I were… We were imprisoned underground, beneath the palace. The objective was to endow our bodies with the power of a Major Crest."

"Artificial Crest Implantation." Claude muttered, placing a hand on his chin. "I've read about that practice, but it was for commoners or Nobles who would do anything for a Crest. Though the mortality rate is too high…"

Edelgard nodded, pleased that Claude has done research on it as she continued. "As you all know, I have always possessed the Crest of Seiros, inherited through the Hresvelg bloodline."

She then became lost in her thoughts as she looked down with a sad look. "But it was only a Minor Crest, and most of my siblings bore no Crest at all. In order to create a peerless Emperor to rule Fódlan, they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh."

The three recoiled at that sentence as Dimitri looked at her arms. "Your scars…"

"Yes." Edelgard replied, standing tall. "Now here I stand, the fruit of that endeavour: Edelgard von Hresvelg!"

"But I'm guessing that your siblings weren't as lucky." Claude said which struck the Princess deep as she clutched her heart and nodded.

"The others were sacrificed. But ours weren't the only lives devastated by that terrible process. Innocents died as well, without even knowing what they were dying for."

Edelgard released another breath she was holding and opened her eyes. "And there you have it. The truth of the Hresvelg Empire."

There were a myriad of reactions to her story. Claude had a tight face as his fist clenched. He knew there were scum in Fódlan, but to sacrifice children was another thing.

Byleth kept a flat look, but Edelgard saw her tail coiling and twitching in anger. The only side that showed emotion.

And Dimitri was staring at the ground with a dark look in his eyes as his fists were tightly clenched. He slowly stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. And he shocked her to her core when he spoke.

"El. Who did this?"

How did he know that nickname? Only those close to her called her that, and she had no memory of meeting him. But she just answered while looking down.

"The Prime Minister and his gaggle of Nobles. They had the Empire under their thumbs. My father, the Emperor, tried to stop him, but… it was futile. My father was nothing but a puppet on a string by then. He was powerless to save us."

She sighed again and stepped back, dusting her training uniform. "I know how it all sounds. But when you see my true strength, you will know I speak the truth. I have kept it hidden all this time but… I trust you three more than anyone right now. I will reveal to you the power of my second Crest."

She held out her hand and conjured up a magic symbol which floored her audience. It was the same symbol as the one inside Byleth as Edelgard looked to her instructor. "It is the same as yours… the Crest of Flames. When it manifested for me, I swore a silent oath. For the sake of my family and for all the poor souls whose lives were traded for my existence… for their sake, I will build a world where such meaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned."

She dispersed the symbol and looked at the three before her. "As Emperor, I will change the world. I swear it."

"Quite a rousing speech Princess." Claude said with his hands behind his head, he had a smirk, but his eyes said differently. He was concerned deeply for her.

Byleth silently walked forward and nudged Dimitri out of the way as Edelgard looked a little nervous. What was she going to do? She got her answer when Byleth hugged her. And her tail wrapped round Edelgard's waist too.

"I'm sorry."

Edelgard was trying to cool her burning face, because she was face first in Byleth's chest. She couldn't believe how quickly the mood changed. "T-T-Thank you Professor."

"Are you unwell? Your face is red."

"N-N-No! I'm fine here! Honestly!"

Dimitri and Claude just looked at Edelgard loving where she was right now as Claude chuckled. "So she's got a face full of Professor. Sounds to me she is not moving for a while. Right Dimitri?"

But Claude got no response as he saw the look in his classmate's eyes. He has seen it before. "I'm going to go train. I will catch up another time."

Claude watched him walk away as he scratched his head. Things were shifting here in Fódlan. Between the upcoming mission and Edelgard's past. For the first time, he was at a loss.

Perhaps the library can offer something.

"Edelgard, we must be going."

"Oh, but your hugs are the best Professor!" Edelgard purred and nuzzled into her chest as she wiggled her butt.

"Oh? Well then, perhaps we can hug more?"

"Yes!"

Claude smirked and laughed. What a little devil Edelgard was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, finally done. I wanted to do a Tales of Ba Sing Se kind of chapter to build up supports of certain characters, and to just give a little breathing room.
> 
> So yeah, it wouldn't be Dragonball without a little perverted humour in there would there? Edelgard will certainly love Byleth's hugs. Especially considering how much of a Bi disaster she is in canon.
> 
> But now they know more about Edelgard's past, and how she's the person she is. Will it help when that moment happens later on? Will Dimitri still snap?
> 
> Also, you may have noticed that we are doing something different. We never really explored Holst in game, so I decided while Blue Lions will deal with Miklan, the Golden Deer will defend their land.
> 
> And lastly, keep in mind that a movie villian will play a role in an upcoming arc. It's not Broly. You think they can handle Broly? You're insane.
> 
> But anyway, see you all in the next chapter guys.


	17. Chapter 17

Part 1: White Clouds

Battle of the Drinkers

" _Thank you so much for defending the village Jeralt! You and your Blade Breakers are once again in our debt! Though if only the houses and farms were able to survive…"_

_Jeralt and his crew were outside the mayor's house as he shook each of their hands. It took them all throughout the night to take care of the giant beast and to get it away from the town, but they managed to do it, and that's all that matters. Though not without some damage to the town. But Jeralt had other things on his mind as he quickly shook his hand._

" _Don't mention it Mr Smith. You've been kind to us for the many times we stop by, we're just returning the favour is all. And towns can be rebuilt but you can't bring back dead people."_

_Mayor Smith nodded with a smile. "Yes, that is a good way to look at it! We will rebuild better and stronger than before! Oh but we must reward you with something!"_

_But Jeralt just held a hand up and shook his head. "We insist. We were just helping out. In fact, let's try and hunt some meat for you and the townsfolk since the farms were destroyed."_

" _Oh! Thank you so much! We will give you a discount on our beer next time you visit!"_

_Jeralt grunted and waved his fellow Blade Breakers over to him as they walked over to the woods. It was like a wasteland with mostly destroyed tree trunks crushed from the weight of the monster that they had to stay up all night to fight. Hellen covered her mouth as she yawned loudly, using her staff as a crutch to prop up her exhausted body._

" _I'm beat… where did that beast even go? Honestly, the nerve of it. Keeps us up all night and then 'POOF', it vanishes!"_

" _Quit your bitching Hellen." Floyd piped up, as he scanned the clearing around him. "Be thankful it didn't trample you. Besides, we have a bigger issue at hand now. The kid."_

_Everyone in ear shot tensed up. It was true, they hadn't seen Byleth all night, and their leader was acting very strange about her absence. Especially when he was usually very protective of her, it was strange to see him not panicking at the thought of his daughter missing, or worse._

" _You know Boss." John started to say. "Kinda out of character for you to not be worrying about your kid."_

" _John!" Hellen scolded, jabbing him in the side with the end of her staff._

" _I'm just saying-"_

" _Quiet, both of you." Jeralt grunted, holding up a hand. He saw something behind some bushes. A brown tail. She was here. And so he walked over to the bushes and saw Byleth, who was unconscious._

_She was luckily not injured at all, which was a given considering weaponry couldn't hurt her at all. She was simply asleep. No surprise there, considering what she went through. But then Jeralt realised a key problem. She was naked._

_Jeralt cursed himself for not thinking of getting a change of clothes. Of course her clothes didn't survive when she turned into a beast. So he quickly got his jacket off and wrapped it around her form, which considering her small size, was like a big blanket._

" _You found her? What in the world was she doing out here?"_

_Jeralt turned to see the Blade Breakers walk up to him and looked very confused on seeing Byleth. Hellen felt her forehead and saw that she didn't have a temperature. "The poor thing. What could've prompted her to wander out here when there was a monster afoot?"_

" _It's kind of obvious guys."_

_A new voice popped up from behind as a man walked to the front, adjusting his glasses. His name was Jacob. The groups resident Sniper. And he stared at the child. "Think about it. We find Byleth out here in the same place that monster went, with it nowhere in sight, she's without clothes, and she's asleep. It's obvious, right boss?"_

"… _Nothing gets past you, does it Jacob?" Jeralt grunted as Hellen shook her head._

" _Hold on! Are you telling me that the giant monster we fought…"_

_A horrified look dawned on the healers face as she started hyperventilating. "Oh gods, we hurt her! Oh, we are horrible people what were we thinking?! Captain, I'm so sorry-"_

" _Breathe, Hellen." John said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We all know we can't hurt her when she's a little brat, I doubt being a giant monster would change that."_

_John then turned to Jeralt and frowned. "But Boss… what the hell is your kid?"_

"… _Sometimes I wonder that same thing myself." Jeralt responded. "I wish her mother was here, then I could have all the answers."_

_That's when he addressed everyone present with a stern look. "Nobody can mention how she was the one who did this to anyone else. Not even to Byleth. If she found out that she destroyed the village, it would crush her. She loves Remire Village and so do not say anything about her turning into this. Got it?"_

_Everyone nodded as they all heard a yawn as Byleth woke up. "Father? What happened… why am I here?"_

_Nobody knew what to say until Jacob piped up. "You got a hold of my booze kid. You ended up wandering in the woods by yourself. Maybe try not to drink until you're older."_

" _Y-Yeah!" Hellen said. "We were very worried about you. Especially when that monster showed up."_

" _Monster?" Byleth muttered as she looked around to see the destruction of the forestry around her. "What happened?"_

" _A monster showed up last night." Jeralt explained, making sure the jacket was covering her still. "You were lucky to avoid it, but the village wasn't as fortunate. Not to worry though, we're going to help rebuild it."_

" _Good…" Byleth yawned, rubbing her eye. "The people there are nice… but how do we stop this monster from coming again?"_

_Jeralt turned to his crew for answers who all looked at each other and shrugged, unsure of what to say. But then he thought of what he could say. "You must always be asleep on the full moon. That's how it's summoned. There must've been some brats who weren't asleep and that's how it showed up. But Byleth, you must do that, you understand? Never be awake during a full moon."_

_Byleth stared at him silently and Jeralt was wondering if she caught on to this absurd lie. But she didn't._

" _Okay dad. I'll do that. I'll never look at the full moon."_

_She then whined and clutched the jacket. "Was it the special imported wine that I drank?"_

_Everyone around froze and slowly turned to Jacob who was starting to sweat profusely. Hellen was eyeing him up and asked Byleth what she meant. Not understanding the tense situation, Byleth answered._

" _Jacob gets wine imported and sent to special boxes near us. I saw him once and he made me promise not to tell."_

_Hellen just drew her dagger and glared at the very nervous archer. "Oh, does he now?"_

" _L-Listen Hellen! I know what you're thinking-"_

" _Oh I don't think you do." Hellen replied. "What I'm thinking about isn't gonna end well for you."_

_Jacob laughed nervously and ran away with Hellen chasing him, exhaustion completely gone. "We had to share stale beer on travels and you get wine?! Get back here!"_

_John got on his Wyvern and joined her. "Bessie is gonna feast on your remains today, you bastard!"_

_Byleth looked up at Jeralt. "Are they okay?"_

" _Yeah kid. Jacob was just lying and so he is gonna get punished."_

_Byleth nodded as she snuggled into her fathers chest. Before noticing something about her._

" _Where are my clothes?"_

* * *

"You all good kid?"

Byleth blinked as she realised Jeralt was trying to talk to her. "Oh sorry dad. Just remembering that time I drank Jacob's wine. Hellen and John weren't too happy with him, were they?"

Jeralt just chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, they weren't. But he shouldn't have been hoarding goods from us. I'm sure Hellen never let him forget that lesson. But hey, it's your night out tonight, isn't it kid?"

"Are you coming with us dad?" Byleth asked, to which Jeralt nodded and slapped her back, grinning.

"You think your old man is gonna miss out on you drinking again? The last time you were blasted was when you asked that waitress to-"

"We agreed to not talk about that." Byleth snapped, folding her arms and giving a very rare pout to which Jeralt just ruffled her hair in response.

"Ah, don't worry about it, kid. You'll be fine. Just make sure to pace yourself. But you better get ready anyway. If I know anything about Manuela and Shamir in the time I've been here, it's that they don't like to be kept waiting."

"Right. I'll see you at the tavern then dad." Byleth waved at him and ran off to her room at the academy as Sothis appeared before her, in deep thought.

' _I wonder if I was a drinker back when I had a physical form. Though the only thing I remember is just tea. I don't think I indulged in wine or ale or anything like that. What about you? What do you drink?_ '

"Mostly beer." Byleth said, looking in the mirror and adjusting her hair, remembering Dorothea and Mercedes commenting on how scruffy it looks. So she decided that just for tonight, she will look presentable and started brushing it. "Though it has been years since I last had more than a few."

' _Yes, I remember you acting all hush hush when your father tries to bring up something. What are you trying so badly to hide? This is very unlike you._ '

Byleth flushed red as she focused on brushing the knots out of her hair. "It's nothing! Just a little mistake I made…"

' _We all make mistakes in life. Nobody is perfect. Why not tell me? I cannot drink alcohol… or drink at all really. So I need something to make my night worthwhile.'_

"Okay fine." Byleth said, placing the hair brush down and sighed, collecting her thoughts.

"I was… well, I don't remember how old I was. But it was around the time I was of the legal age. Dad decided that we had to celebrate, so he and the Blade Breakers took me to this tavern to have my first blackout drunk moment."

' _Such a responsible father._ ' Sothis grumbled, rolling her eyes as Byleth continued.

"I didn't mind it as much. I was actually curious. I saw them all get blackout drunk before, and I wanted to see what it was like. But Aunt Hellen wouldn't let me until I was of age. So there I was, just drinking and there I saw…"

She suddenly realised the time and gulped. Shamir hates when she was late, so she quickly ran out the door with her money pouch in hand.

' _Hey, hold on a minute! You were just getting to the good part! Come on Byleth, don't leave me like that!_ ' Sothis screamed, flying after her.

* * *

"78… 79… 80!"

Edelgard gasped in exhaustion as she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily from the amount of pushups she had to do. Claude was sitting next to her with a feather in hand as he grinned.

"Not bad Princess. Even with me trying to break you, you held on and beat your record."

"…Fuck… you… Claude." Edelgard growled as she rolled onto her back with Claude gasping loudly.

"Why, I don't think that's appropriate language for future royalty."

That's when Dimitri piped up and stared at Claude. "I believe it is your turn, Claude."

Now the future Duke was sporting a nervous grin. "I-Is it?"

Edelgard sat up and had a devilish smirk on her face. "A wonderful idea, Dimitri. Perhaps you could lay on his back while he does it just to see if he will break!"

Suddenly, a massive gust of wind blew past the trio which knocked them to the ground. It was Byleth who had ran so fast, it created a gust of wind.

"Where is the Professor off to in such a hurry?" Edelgard mused as Dimitri helped her up.

"I believe she is away to a night out with the other faculty members. You know how Miss Shamir and Professor Manuela is with punctuality."

"You're right. But back to Claude…"

She turned around, only to see an empty spot on where Claude used to be as she growled loudly. "Coward! Where are you?!"

But Dimitri chuckled silently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Allow me. I learned a special trick."

He slowly closed his eyes and then opened them, pointing in a direction. "He's behind that tree."

Claude quickly ran from his hiding spot and looked behind him. "Hey, how did you do that?!"

"I can sense your Ki!" Dimitri yelled back as he and Edelgard chased after him.

"Yeah, he'll teach you if you do 100 push ups with weights on top of you!"

"Make it 200!"

"Hey come on guys, what happened to Team Three Star?!"

"WE ARE NOT CALLED THAT!"

* * *

"You're late." Shamir grumbled leaning outside the doors of the tavern as Byleth stopped in front of her. Shamir just rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Ah well, because it's a night out, I'll let it slide. Come on in, the rest are waiting. I'm surprised you agreed to come out. Never took you for a drinker."

Byleth shrugged, walking in beside her fellow Mercenary. "Only for social occasions… which has been a while since I last had one."

"Well, let's hope the others don't scare you off. Though I'd watch out for Catherine and Manuela… they try to make you drink a lot."

Before Byleth could respond, they heard a loud voice as Catherine has one arm around each of the two. "Welcome to the party guys!"

"…Has she been drinking?" Byleth asked, to which Shamir shook her head.

"No. She just gets more energetic on nights out."

Both then felt their arms being pulled as Catherine lead them to a table where Byleth saw the other faculty members. Manuela, Hanneman, Alois, and even her own father. Of course he would be here, he wouldn't pass up the chance for a drink.

"Hey, the lady of the hour has arrived!" Jeralt yelled as he slung an arm around his daughter. "This one, she is worthy of my title as the best drinker! Mark my words, she has Eisner blood in her!"

Byleth didn't know how to respond as she waved her hands in front of her. "O-Oh no, I'm not looking for a blackout experience again, I just want to drink!"

"Well then, let's get started!" Manuela yelled, sliding a pint of beer to Byleth who caught it and started drinking at it, with Sothis just watching and shaking her head.

' _Oh dear, I fear that this will end badly tonight._ '

* * *

"Byleeeeeeeeth! I challenge you!"

Catherine slung her arm around Byleth who blinked at the knight, who was looking tipsy. "Drinking contest. Me and you. Right now!"

Shamir sighed as she sipped at her drink. "Catherine, I'm sure that she is not interested in playing games."

"Oh, I'm all for this idea!" Manuela slurred, slamming a bag of money into the table. "Place your bets, I'm thinking our dear Mercenary has this in the bag!"

"I'm afraid I have to disagree!" Alois chortled, placing his own pouch on the table. "As a Knight of Seiros, I must root for my comrade in arms!"

"Come on Shammy, who's gonna win?!" Catherine slurred to which Shamir rolled her eyes and tossed her pouch.

"Byleth."

Catherine gasped loudly and puffed her cheeks. "Hurtful… I'll just use this to fuel my victory!"

"I believe that Ms Catherine will win." Hanneman spoke up, clearing his throat. "I have seen her drink Manuela of all people under the table. I'm afraid Miss Byleth does not have a chance!"

"What about you, Captain?" Alois asked as Jeralt chuckled.

"You think I'm gonna bet against my own daughter? You're crazy if you think that."

Byleth was nervously looking around, trying to find a way out of his impromptu competition as Catherine grinned at her. "What's wrong? You scared?"

…That's when Byleth's eyes narrowed and Sothis groaned.

' _Oh, here we go._ '

As if on cue, the bartender walked up to the table and smiled. "Are we after more drinks then?"

Byleth just stood up and looked him right in the eye. "Bring me a whole barrel."

The whole place went silent as the bartender had a bewildered look. "I-I'm sorry?"

"A whole barrel. Make it happen."

She then turned to Catherine who shared that same bewildered look and Byleth just had a small smirk on her face. "Unless you're scared?"

The wielder of Thunderbrand quickly shook herself out of her stupor and tried to put on a brave face. "Y-Yeah! Two whole barrels."

"R-Right away! Two barrels coming up!"

"Is there a drinking contest in the works?!"

Manuela was just sipping at her drink with a smirk. "This just got a whole lot interesting~"

* * *

Both Catherine and Byleth were sitting at a small table as two large barrels were placed next to them, filled with beer. Alois was rubbing Catherine's shoulders as Byleth looked at Jeralt who just smirked.

"Don't hold back kid."

A crowd had gathered around them as Anna approached the pair, holding a piece of cloth and Shamir raised an eyebrow. "Do you just work everywhere? I swear I see you all over Fódlan."

Anna just winked and waggled her finger. "You gotta work hard to make profits! But I'm just here to officiate the match. I love a good betting contest, and when my favourite customer is involved, more fun for me."

She then looked to Byleth and over to the audience. "Seems the crowd isn't with you, monkey girl. They all think that Catherine will win."

"Hell yeah!" A woman shouted. "Thunderbrand Catherine doesn't lose!"

Anna just shrugged and winked at Byleth. "I like a good underdog story, so I got a lot of money riding on you. Don't screw this up."

Finally, Anna turned to the crowd and cleared her throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Before you are two challengers! They are about to undertake a drinking contest that is sure to go down in legends! Two, very large barrels that come up to my neck! Two very eager ladies to down every single drop from those barrels! But only one can win! So please, place your bets right now at the gentleman behind the bar!"

A mad scramble to the bar took place as the patrons started putting down bets as Anna continued, walking towards Catherine. "Here we have a very popular figure in the Knights of Seiros! The wielder of one of the Heroes Relics, Thunderbrand! One of the strongest knights! Give it up for Catherine!"

Cheers erupted in the bar as Catherine waved to everybody before Anna continued, walking over to Byleth who just blinked. "And over here, we have a newcomer! She has only been at Garreg Mach for a few months and yet has climbed her way to the top, even going as far as wielding the Sword of the Creator! But can she beat her opponent tonight who managed to conquer Professor Manuela in a battle such as this? I give you, Byleth!"

A noticeable dip in volume was there when people cheered as Byleth shyly waved and her dad rubbed her head. It's clear that the favourite was Catherine as Anna tapped the two wooden barrels. "Alright ladies, the rules are simple. You have to finish everything in this barrel. However you do it, I don't care, but it's gotta go inside your body and not on the floor. Speaking of which, if you throw up, you lose. Other forms of defeat include giving in, passing out, or getting others to help you. Any questions?"

Both women shook their heads as Anna raised her cloth in the air before turning to the crowd and paused for dramatic effect. "Then let us begin… NOW!"

The cloth fell from the merchant's hand signalling the start of the match as Catherine quickly poured herself a drink and started chugging it. Six seconds in, and she had already finished one pint.

"Excellent work Catherine!" Alois boomed. "You're already making such a tremendous start!"

Catherine sighed as she finished her first glass, and gave Alois a thumbs up and a grin. "Yeah, she's toast!"

But then they heard the crowd gasping and exclaiming in shock and Catherine turned around, wondering why they were amazed-

"EEEEEEEEEHHHHH?!"

She thought her eyeballs would pop out of her skull from what she was seeing!

Byleth had ditched the mug altogether and was drinking straight from the barrel as Shamir was blinking in shock.

"Woah."

"That's my girl!" Jeralt roared and turned to the crowd. "Bet you all regret betting against her now, huh?!"

"Can I change to Byleth now?!"

"Sorry, all bets are final!" Anna yelled as Alois snapped his comrade out of her stupor.

"You must implement the same tactics if you dare to stand a chance! Here, let me help you get the tap out! Will the referee allow me to do so?"

Anna shrugged and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll allow it."

"R-Right…" Catherine replied as she was honestly dumbfounded by Byleth and her ability to consume anything in large quantities. She knew that if she didn't do the same thing, she was a goner. She just hoped she could chug faster.

Manuela just chuckled as she grabbed a bottle of wine. "And suddenly I feel like I'm making a connection right here…"

* * *

"Come on Catherine! For the Knight's of Seiros!"

"You've got this kid!"

"I can't believe this is still going on… they should both be passed out by now." Shamir mumbled as both women had been drinking from their respective barrels for the past five minutes. The only difference being that Catherine had to take breaks to catch her breath before going back in.

Worst of all, she was starting to lose it as her movements and speech became more and more sluggish as she let out a hiccup. Anna giggled to herself and looked to Byleth who was holding the barrel vertical now.

"This match may just be decided folks! It seems the underdog has got this victory in the bag!"

As if on cue, Byleth withdrew her mouth from the hole and slowly got up on the table, held her barrel aloft… and slammed it on her head, shattering it and showing not a drop of alcohol remained.

"WE HAVE A WINNER! BYLETH EISNER HAS TAKEN VICTORY!"

Everyone around the group had mixed reactions. Some cheered loudly whilst others groaned in defeat and had to fork over the money that they bet with. But that was all interrupted when Catherine stood up.

"WAIT! I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!"

The room went quiet as Shamir pinched the bridge of her nose. "She's completely plastered…"

"Now. I lost. There no denying that." Catherine slurred loudly as she almost fell back but was propped back up by Hanneman as she held a finger up. "BUT! I am anything but sloppy… I do not leave things half assed…. That is why… I will finish my drink! But I need your help. Will you help me?!"

Byleth understood in that moment what Catherine was talking about. She witnessed it many times growing up with the Blade Breakers. She looked at her father and nodded to him whilst Catherine picked up the barrel with Byleth starting the chant.

"We… like to drink with Catherine!"

"Because Catherine is our mate!" Jeralt continued, as the crowd started to understand and joined in, watching the Knight get the barrel to her lips.

"And when we drink with Catherine, she downs it all in eight!"

Catherine quickly started chugging down the barrel as the countdown passed by.

"Seven!"

Almost there. Just a quarter to go.

"Six!"

The cold temperature of the alcohol was starting to hurt her throat.

"Five!"

She had to press on. Her pride demanded it.

"Four!"

Two cups worth left! Come on! Push harder!

"Three!"

One cup!

"Two!"

Catherine slammed her now empty barrel down and let out a loud groan as her throat finally got some relief. But the loud cheers around her managed to help make her feel better.

"I may have *hic* lost! But I finished with *hic* dignity!" Catherine slurred heavily, collapsing on her chair as Anna giggled to herself.

"And there we have the conclusion of a quality drinking contest! But for all you unlucky losers, pay up, or suffer the consequences!"

A series of groans and grumbles echoed as people started handing money to Anna who gave a hefty share to the very few who bet on Byleth. Shamir being one of them.

"Heh. This'll go right into my tea budget." She smirked, feeling how heavy the pouch was and turned to the others. "Should learn not to underestimate her."

"I knew I should've bet on Byleth!" Hanneman groaned, slamming his head on the table. "That was my Crest research money…"

"Should learn when to follow my intuition dear!" Manuela sang as she grabbed her own hefty pouch and giggled. "Oh, it feels good to win!"

"Heh, and with that, I'm calling it a night." Jeralt said putting away his own pouch but Byleth whirled around.

"You're not staying dad?"

"Afraid not. Gotta get papers done and I don't think the headache from Seteth tomorrow will be worth staying out. But you have a good time ahead of you kid. Just don't do something stupid."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Byleth giggled, giving a salute as everybody noticed her acting different. But Jeralt had a theory. Whenever she got drunk, it seemed that her Saiyan side was brought out more. Which meant she showed emotions more, which was always good in his eyes.

But he knew he couldn't stay, so he stood up and stretched. "Well kids, it's been fun, but I better call it a night."

"Me too." Hanneman groaned, standing up. "Before I lose even more of my money."

"I must say that I agree!" Alois said. "I have to keep my wits about me if I am to uphold my reputation. I bid you ladies farewell!"

"Stay safe guys." Jeralt nodded as he also left.

Manuela just stayed in her seat, swirling her glass of wine. "So now that the boys are gone… how about we tell stories?"

Byleth blinked, trying to understand what she meant and Manuela smirked.

"I mean sex~"

….Oh.

"Specifically, what your first time was like."

Oh dear.

"I elect Shamir go first!" Catherine yelled, flopping on the table as Shamir rolled her eyes.

"It was a guy. We had sex. We moved on."

"Oh come on!" Manuela whined. "Give us details! Like what it was like, was it romantic? Give a girl something!"

Shamir already felt a headache coming on, and it wasn't from the beer. "Fine. I'll try to remember as best as I can."

Byleth and Catherine managed to focus despite the copious amounts of alcohol they drank as Shamir started.

"He was my old partner. An old Mercenary I used to fight alongside. It was… right before Dagda had conflict with the Empire. We knew it could be our end, so we decided in that moment to find out what sex was like. I mean, sure, he was a looker, but I never really saw much more than a friend and a partner. He felt pretty much the same. But I suppose in that moment, I couldn't think of a better person to give my first time to."

She then shook her head and downed her drink. "He's long passed. It was the end for one of us when the Empire came."

But Shamir looked around and saw the sad looks on her fellow staff members and sighed. "Sorry, I killed the mood. Don't be sad for me, I made my peace with it years ago. As long as I carry his memory. So anyway Manuela, since these stories were your idea, why don't you tell us?"

"Hold on!" Catherine slurred. "You were fifteen when you did that?!"

"…What's your point?"

"The age of consent is sixteen!"

"Dagda rules are different. Even so, it didn't really bother me that much. We were the same age. Besides, I've seen kids younger than fifteen doing it all the time. And what's done is done. We were two consenting teenagers." Shamir replied.

"Can't argue with that, I guess." Manuela said, downing her glass of wine. "Very well, I shall go next. It was during the times of my career as an Opera singer!"

Shamir groaned inwardly, as she stood up to get another drink. If she had to endure this, she may as well get more booze. Maybe getting drunk wasn't a bad idea.

"Yes well, I was a young maiden having just passed twenty years old. And I was part of a duet with this dashing young gentleman. I say that he was a few years older than me, but we killed it that night! And afterwards, I invited him for a drink in my quarters. And it went further from there."

"It sounds like a magical night." Byleth commented, trying to focus her vision.

"It was… until the dastard stole my belongings the next day. Turns out he was a thief that knocked out the real man I was supposed to be in a duet with!"

Catherine burst out laughing as she hit the table. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry Catherine! Bwahahahaha! But that's so funny!"

Manuela chose to ignore her laughing as she mysteriously pulled out another bottle of wine. "And you know what I've learned about the differences of men and booze? Booze hits the spot every time!"

"Amen to that!" Catherine yelled, giving Manuela a high five whilst the Songstress downed the bottle.

"I suppose it's me next?" Catherine asked as she had to support herself on the table. "I got to be honest, my first time was on a night like this. Blackout drunk and no memory of it. Sorry girls."

"Oh it's okay dear." Manuela slurred, patting Catherine on the back, before they all turned to Byleth who suddenly realised the attention was on her.

"M-Me?"

"To be honest, it's bizarre to think about her having sex." Catherine said.

"H-Hey!"

"You're right." Manuela nodded to herself. "She has this air of innocence about her. Like a lost lamb."

"N-Now wait just a minute!"

"To be fair, I've never seen her interested in anything other than training and eating." Shamir commented, finishing another drink and feeling the buzz.

"Okay, that's enough!" Byleth yelled standing up. "I'll have you know that I HAVE had sex!"

"Then tell us." Manuela smirked, motioning for her to continue as Byleth sat back down. That's when Sothis appeared next to her as Byleth continued.

"Okay… I was at this tavern. And there was this waitress. She had beautiful brown hair and these big blue eyes. I had a few to drink and was pretty intoxicated."

Everyone leaned in more to listen. Even Sothis was doing it as she got to hear the rest of this story. "I was dancing with her. I guess I had a whole level of confidence that night. But then we were in her room, making out."

"I'm liking this so far." Manuela purred.

"But then her husband walked in on us. The owner of the tavern."

"Uh oh." Shamir groaned.

"So then I said… why don't you join us?" Byleth said, covering her face.

Everyone was silent as Catherine slowly picked her head up. "No. Way."

"Then the next day I woke up naked in the arms of the owner and holding his wife's hand."

'… _Oh my._ ' Sothis said to herself, covering her mouth.

"Byleth, that is fucking awesome!" Catherine yelled, trying to stand up but failing. "You had a threesome for your first time?!"

"Okay, you win." Manuela exclaimed. "I could never top that."

"Well, you certainly surprised me." Shamir chuckled.

But then Byleth stood up. "Oh gods!"

"What?"

"…I could eat!"

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it, I'm hungry too." Shamir said, smiling as the alcohol was starting to take its effect on her in more ways than one.

"I'm sure we can find something! Let's see what's open!"

"Somebody help up Catherine."

"Just got to finish my drink." Shamir laughed, holding her mug.

* * *

"Fifty more!"

"Come on guys!" Claude groaned, collapsing to the ground. "I did the push ups! Give me a break! We have class tomorrow!"

"No." Both Edelgard and Dimitri said, glaring at the little schemer who made them run circles trying to find him today. "Fifty more."

Claude just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine."

But then they heard laughing and singing as they all turned to see a sight that they would never have seen coming.

Their stoic Professor, laughing and carrying around a completely plastered Catherine while Shamir and Manuela sang songs.

"…Alcohol is a strange substance." Edelgard said, trying to make sense in what she saw.

"Even Miss Shamir is singing. How much did she have?"

"Apparently not as much as Catherine from the looks of it." Claude grunted, picking himself up.

Unfortunately for them, they were spotted as they all groaned loudly feeling Byleth hug them tightly.

"There's my favourite students!" Byleth slurred. "You shouldn't be out! You should be in bed!"

"P-Professor are you okay?" Edelgard wheezed out, trying to breathe.

"I feel great!" She giggled as all three smelt the alcohol on her breath and were honestly freaked out because this was so unlike her. "Do you guys know where we can find food? I'm starving!"

Dimitri managed to get his head free from Byleth's clutches and choked out a response. "I believe… the cafeteria… is open…"

Byleth gasped loudly and dropped the students, holding her face in shock. "Oh my gosh! Why didn't I think of that?! Guys! I found a way to get food! And more booze!"

They all watched the group walk away and dumbfounded wasn't close to describing how they felt.

"…I think I'm ready for bed." Dimitri said, slowly turning away and heading to the dorms. Edelgard nodded and ejected to join him in his decision while Claude stared in the distance.

"If she's not there… perhaps I can take a look at that sword-"

He yelled in pain as Edelgard came back grabbing his ear. "Bed. Now."

"Ow! Ow! Come on Edelgard, give me a break! Ow! Stop!"

Dimitri yawned, ignoring Claude's protests at Edelgard. "I hope Professor Byleth will be fine tomorrow."

* * *

A loud groan sounded in Byleth's room as she slowly woke up, clutching her throbbing head. She quickly closed her eyes and felt a presence on her side.

"Do we need to get up?" Catherine moaned, nuzzling Byleth's neck. "I'm sure the knights can do without me for a day."

Shamir was on the other side and sighed. "I don't need to go out again until next week."

"I can always get someone to cover me." Manuela muttered laying on top of Byleth.

"Let's just sleep." Byleth mumbled earning a series of mumbled agreements as the three snuggled up to Byleth.

…

…

…

Wait.

All four women's eyes snapped open as they realised they were all in the same bed together. They quickly sat up and backed away from each other.

Then they saw the clothes on the floor.

And their lack of clothes.

They were naked.

And in the same bed.

Horror dawned on everyone's faces.

* * *

"Look, all I'm saying is that if you two distract Teach, then I can swipe the sword for a couple of minutes!"

"I refuse to be involved with your schemes, Claude." Edelgard growled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I agree. I do not wish to be on Professor Byleth's bad side." Dimitri nodded as the trio walked down the halls. "Why don't you just ask her? I'm sure she would let you look at it."

Before Claude could respond, a series of screams echoed throughout the Monastery causing all three to freeze.

"That came from Professor Byleth's room!" Edelgard yelled. Instincts took over as they all ran to the source of the sound where Seteth and Flayn were currently standing right behind Byleth's door.

He noticed the three approaching and had a hand on the door knob. "Be ready. We do not know what we are dealing with."

Everyone nodded as they either summoned Ki balls, Ki weapons or charged up magic. Seteth then barged the door open as everyone ran in.

"In the name of the Goddess, what is going on-"

Seteth froze mid sentence at the sight before him. Four naked ladies all looking at him in surprise as he very quickly covered a confused Flayn's eyes and trying to avert his gaze.

Dimitri had a bright red face and suddenly found the ceiling to be interesting. Anything other than what was in front of him.

Edelgard's brain shut down at the sight of Byleth's body and her face flushed a deep red with her eyes dulling and mouth slightly agape.

And then Claude just made the whole situation worse with a grin. "Nice."

He very much regretted saying that as four pairs of eyes glared at him and he wondered if it was possible to die from looks alone.

Shamir then spoke and pointed outside the door and growled. "Out. Now."

Nobody argued about that as Dimitri had to drag out a dumbfounded Edelgard. Claude didn't want to experience the wrath of those four, especially when one could vaporise mountains and another was an expert in using Ki.

So they waited outside as Flayn tried to snap Edelgard out of her stupor, as she was also drooling at this point. When the doors slamming open finally managed to get her back to reality as Manuela, Catherine and Shamir all walked out.

"We will talk about this later." Shamir growled, adjusting her jacket and flying off while Byleth slowly peeked her head out.

"Ummm… I'll catch up later okay? Just… you know how to train, students."

So she hastily closed the door as Seteth sighed loudly.

"I was expecting a lot of things today. But not that. But let's give Miss Byleth her privacy. I just hope she is okay."

* * *

" _ **Sothis? Are you there?"**_

_**Byleth had appeared in the vast depths of her mind and saw Sothis not on her throne for once. But rather just standing there, with her back turned to her, and her arms crossed. Byleth knew immediately in that moment that she wasn't happy.** _

" _ **Sothis?"**_

"… _ **I saw things last night…"**_

_**She finally turned around to look at Byleth but immediately averted her gaze, as Byleth saw she was blushing madly. "Things… that I think I can never unsee."** _

_**Oh. Byleth forgot that she was there in a way.** _

" _ **Sothis I'm sorry-"**_

" _ **No! Sorry isn't going to cut it!" Sothis yelled, covering her face. "The things I saw… what you did with your tail…"**_

_**Byleth really wanted to vanish and die in this moment. The last thing she wanted was for Sothis to give a recap on the events of last night. "Shall I… give you space?"** _

" _ **Yes, I believe that would be best."**_

* * *

Opening her eyes, Byleth knew that the one person she could talk to was here. Her father. So she quickly ran off to Jeralt's room to see him carving a piece of wood with a knife.

"Good morning kid. How was your night?"

"Terrible. I'm sure you don't want to hear the details."

"…You know the walls are thin, right?"

Oh, Byleth really wanted to drop dead in this moment now. She didn't want to discuss this with her dad. Thankfully, he seemed to think the same. "I'm sure the ladies will talk to you about it later. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"…Thanks dad. And I am sorry."

Jeralt just waved it off. "While I don't need to hear that, you're a grown woman. If that's what you want to do, don't apologise for it. Just… make sure you're somewhere else next time. I don't want to die of a heart attack."

Byleth tried her best to stay in place and not just run off, but nodded. "I'll give them space."

"That's probably best."

* * *

"Hey Byleth, can we talk?"

She looked up from meditating with her students to see Shamir standing there and helped her up. "I'll be right back guys. Just focus on image training."

Though on the inside, Byleth was freaking out. Anxiety was a completely new feeling to her, and she had been pretty much avoiding Catherine, Shamir and Manuela lately. In her mind, it was to give them space when in reality she was terrified of facing them.

"I know you've been avoiding us. I thought it best to have a chat while I'm still around."

Byleth slowly nodded and Shamir sighed. "We don't hate you Byleth. What happened that night, happened. But I also want to say that I don't have an interest in taking this further. Not to say I don't like you, but I think we fit better as friends."

"Me too!" Shamir was surprised at her partners blunt answer. "I just don't want to ruin our friendship! I like you and Catherine a lot, we fit well together! I mean Manuela scares me sometimes, but I like her too-"

Shamir clamped a hand on her mouth to shut her up and laughed a little. "It's strange seeing you go off like that. But let me put your fears to rest. We're still friends. Catherine would feel the same, but you would have to talk to her. And I'm pretty sure in Manuela's case, you aren't her type. But us? We're cool. So stop worrying about it."

Byleth nodded to show she understood as Shamir took her hand off and sighed. "I don't normally offer this but… do you want a hug?"

"…Yes please."

"Alright, bring it in."

The pair shared a hug as Byleth was just happy she still had her friend here. And Shamir patted her back before stepping away. "By the way, I envy your future lover if you're that skilled with your tail."

Shamir chuckled to herself watching Byleth freeze in place with her tail straightened out and her face was completely red with steam shooting out her ears. "Sorry Byleth. Couldn't resist. Now come on, your students won't train themselves."

"Right!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, that's another chapter done. I really wanted to do a filler episode since I started but I couldn't find the right time for it. It was definitely a struggle on trying to end it but I hope it's decent.
> 
> To anyone thinking that Byleth will get together right now, she won't. That night was simply a mistake. But if I get around to writing smut I might tackle how that night went down.
> 
> Also fantastic news, we are at 60 favourites and 75 followers. It blows my mind that you guys love this, thank you so much.
> 
> I also lied. When I said the movie villian will show up soon, I meant it'll be after Flayn is kidnapped. I have something special planned for that arc.
> 
> But yeah, join us next time where Byleth will be helping the Golden Deer with Almyrans. See you then.


	18. Chapter 18

Part 1: White Clouds

The Leicester Alliance

" _I have to say, I'm quite impressed with your progress so far, Sothis!"_

_On King Kai's planet, Sothis was currently sitting under a tree meditating. She managed to secure her place as his pupil by telling a very bad joke to him. But at least he laughed so, points to her… she guessed. She also had to repair his house which took a good amount of time to do, since she wasn't that good at carpentry to begin with. But she quickly found out King Kai was no slouch as a mentor and pushed her to her limits with the gravity on his planet alone. As the days and months rolled on however, she felt herself getting stronger in not only body, but in her mind too as her time abilities were getting better by the months._

" _Yeah, I'm gonna be honest with you, I thought you wouldn't survive the training." King Kai admitted and nodded over to Bubbles who was jumping around. "But hey, you managed to catch Bubbles and got used to the gravity, so props to ya, kid."_

_King Kai then stood next to her and looked across the distance before continuing. "Now, I know you mainly came here to work on your time powers. But I think there's an opportunity to learn more. You never know when you need a good offence, you know what I mean?"_

_Sothis finally opened her eyes and looked up at the blue creature. "What do you propose I learn?"_

_King Kai shrugged and continued to stare at into the distance, not looking at his student. "Well, the choice is up to you. I have two techniques that I can pass down to you. You can either learn one or both. Though if you want a personal opinion, I quite like the Kaioken technique."_

"… _Kaio what?"_

" _Kaioken! It's a technique that boosts your Ki and power and amplifies your strength! Though it is quite a difficult technique to pull off as using it too much might put you six feet into the ground."_

" _Hmmm…" Sothis mused, folding her arms and thinking. She would much rather prefer to just focus on honing her skills at managing time. But on the other hand, it would probably be wise to broaden her horizons and learn offensive techniques too. Especially when she wasn't that strong physically despite the workout she got from this place. Why not?_

_Sothis stood up and nodded to King Kai with a determined look. "I'll do it."_

" _Splendid! Let's get to work then, I'm sure you KaioCAN do it!"_

_King Kai started sniggering to himself as Sothis sighed, while following him to their usual training spot. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she could try going to Chronoa again, and just drink tea for all eternity._

… _Oh, who was she kidding? She chose to do this, she may as well reap the benefits. "So, what do I do first, King Kai?"_

" _Already eager to learn after doing so much? I like your tenacity! Okay, we'll start with the basics."_

* * *

"You ready for this, Teach?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…"

Byleth was outside the gates of the Monastery, standing next to Claude and the rest of the Golden Deer who were currently loading various goods and weaponry into carriages and wagons for their trip to the Alliance. On top of their mission to help defend against the Almyrans, they had to bring supplies over as well.

"You would think Professor Hanneman would have shown up by now." Byleth said to herself, looking around for any sight of the Golden Deer Professor as Claude just pat her on the shoulder with a grin.

"Don't worry about it Teach, he always shows up in the nick of time. He'll be here."

But then he looked towards the road they would be taking with a frown and rubbed his chin. "Have you ever been to the Alliance before, Teach?"

Byleth was a little surprised at this change in mood for Claude. She hardly ever saw him be as serious as he was right now. But then again, the fact that they were going to be defending the land he would one day lead, it's probably something he will take personally.

"I can say that I have been there at least once in my life." Byleth replied, looking in the direction Claude was. "When we went to Leonie's village. From what little I remember, it was a beautiful place."

"Yeah, the Alliance has a little bit of history." Claude said, not bothering to look away from where he was staring. "I'm not sure how much you know about it, but it is very fascinating. You see, back then, it was only the Adrestian Empire that was part of Fódlan. Though as time went on, more and more people wanted to separate from the Empire. That's how the Kingdom of Faerghus was created. But then in the Leicester region of Fódlan, they started to rebel too. And well, Faerghus saw that as an opportunity to get more power and invaded them, and took control."

Finally, he turned towards Byleth and continued to explain the origins of the Alliance. "Eventually, the King of Faerghus passed away and his three sons divided the Kingdom into separate territories. One of them ruled Leicester as an Archduke. But when he died, a lot of the nobles weren't too keen on his heir and so tried again for independence, only this time from the Kingdom. The leader of that movement was the Duke of Riegan."

"Your ancestor?" Byleth asked and Claude nodded, sporting that smile again.

"Exactly. There was a big war, called the Crescent Moon War. But eventually it ended in our favour and we gained independence from the Kingdom. And just like that, the Leicester Alliance was born."

"I am glad to see that you are keeping up to date on your history Claude."

Both of them turned around to see Edelgard and Dimitri walking up to them as Claude laughed. "Well, I am to be the leader of the Alliance one day, I can't always be joking around now, can I, Princess?"

"And just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me yet again." Edelgard replied, with a small laugh of her own. "We just came to see you all off before we are to attend our own missions."

"Oh that's right, I forgot." Byleth said, turning to Dimitri. "A group of thieves stole a Relic, did they not?"

Dimitri's face turned dark as he nodded. "Indeed. Sylvain's brother to be exact. He was once the heir of his house, but was born without a Crest. As such, he was disowned by his family when Sylvain was born. He always resented his younger brother for that. And so he joined and eventually lead a group of bandits."

"A tragic way to lose everything." Edelgard said, shaking her head. She had various thoughts on the matter but elected to keep them to herself.

Byleth however, didn't have that filter. "Why did he get kicked out for not having a Crest?"

Dimitri was about to respond but that's when Edelgard stepped forward. "Perhaps we can discuss that after you return from your mission. For now, we only came to see you off."

"Where will you and dad be heading off to?" Byleth asked Edelgard.

"We are simply tasked with finding more of the Western Church and eliminate them."

Byleth's face just darkened and clenched her fists. "That's not right. Even if they did bad things, they still deserve to live."

"Unfortunately, the world isn't so black and white Professor." Edelgard, sighing and shaking her head. "Even if I don't like it, we have to follow what Lady Rhea asks of us."

"She is wrong."

"Professor, I may respect you, but please refrain from speaking about her in such a manner." Dimitri narrowed his eyes at his instructor and Claude quickly stepped in.

"Woah, woah, easy guys. Dimitri, remember that Teach never grew up with knowledge of the Church. She is just unfamiliar with the way things work."

Dimitri managed to gain control of his senses as he bowed his head in shame. "You're right… Professor, forgive me please."

"No, I'm sorry Dimitri." Byleth muttered. "I know how important the Church is to Faerghus. I shouldn't be disrespecting them in front of you."

Edelgard saw this as an opportunity to change the subject, though Byleth could see that the Princess wanted to say a lot on the matter.

"Though, I am curious to see that Bernadetta was taken away for extra curricular training."

"Oh? Who did that?" Byleth asked. But Edelgard just shrugged with a deep frown on her face.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that Professor Jeralt approved it so she won't be joining us on our mission. How curious…"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps fast approaching as Hanneman had managed to catch up. "Apologies for being late! I must've lost track of time…"

"I know that feeling." Byleth replied, as an inside joke to herself as Edelgard and Dimitri looked at each other. While Claude just chuckled. She was certainly a strange one. But then he looked to his friends before him.

"I suppose this is where we part ways. It's strange. This'll be the first time in a while where we are gone for long periods of time."

Dimitri walked over to Claude and shook his hand. "Be careful out there Claude."

Edelgard joined him and also shook his hand. "Try not to get yourself killed out there."

"Ah, come on guys, it's just a bunch of bandits, have faith!" Claude said with a grin, but then it evolved into a more sincere smile. "Good luck to both of you."

With that, the two Nobles walked away as Claude sighed. "Well. Now that Professor Hanneman is here, why don't we make our way over, Teach?"

Byleth nodded and followed Claude over to the various wagons and carriages that the students helped set up. They were all impressed with the results of the training program that Lysithea and Leonie had, as they even rivalled Raphael when carrying heavy loads.

"Impressive! I never thought I would see the day where Raphael is struggling to keep up!" Ignatz exclaimed while looking at Leonie who was loading bags of wheat onto a wagon. He then turned over to his friend who was carrying two boxes of vegetables. "Perhaps you could learn how to use this Ki?"

"Nah, I'm all good!" Raphael said, giving a big smile. "I'm not interested in using those attacks! As long as I have my muscles, I'll crush anyone in my way!"

"You know you could be stronger if you learned…" Lysithea muttered, as she walked past him with a box of her own.

"When are we leaving anyway?" Hilda asked, sitting on top of a bunch of crates with her hands on her chin. "We're going to take forever to get there!"

"It would be quicker if you actually stood up and helped, you know." Leonie said, deadpanning at the pink haired girl, who just gasped in shock.

"Who, me?! I can't do that, I'll end up dropping a crate! You saw what happened earlier!"

"Yeah, I'm willing to bet you dropped it on purpose." Leonie grumbled, hoisting another sack onto the wagon.

Byleth decided to change the subject by trying to understand their mission better. This was her first time going on a mission that didn't involve the students she was teaching, just merely assisting another house. It was strange not having Annette tripping over stuff or watching Caspar try to punch a tree in half.

"So who is this Holst person?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the Mercenary as a giant sweat drop formed on her head. ' _Okay Byleth, you're already failing at socialising. Oh, where's dad or Shamir when you need them?_ '

Luckily for her, Claude came to her rescue as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "Sorry guys, Teach had a very sheltered childhood, so it's no surprise that she wouldn't know about him. Why, she didn't even know about the Church growing up!"

Byleth then slowly turned to Claude and narrowed her eyes. "Yes. How exactly did you know that? You weren't in the room when that came up."

Claude shrugged his shoulders and gave her a grin. "I maaaay have done just a teeny, tiny, little bit of eavesdropping. But let's get you up to speed on who Holst is. Don't want to feel overwhelmed now, do we?"

Lorenz was standing next to a carriage and shook his head. "It's not very befitting of a Noble to eavesdrop on conversations Claude."

"So? You did it when you listened in on Hilda and I."

The Nobles face lit up like a bonfire as he stammered while trying to avoid Hilda's gaze. "T-That was different! I was merely making sure you weren't having intercourse!"

Before anyone else could talk, Hanneman piped up. "Alright students! We are ready to go!"

' _Thank the goddess!_ ' Lorenz screamed in his head, quickly going into a carriage to avoid further embarrassment. Everyone started filing into the other ones before Claude looked at Byleth.

"Care to come in Teach? I know you can fly, but Hilda and I will be more than happy to fill you in on the details."

"Uhh, you guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."

He just shrugged in response and saluted. "No problem. Don't get lost. Would hate to lose you so soon."

She nodded in return and watched the convoy start to move away and she released a breath she didn't realise she was holding.

' _Certainly an energetic bunch, wouldn't you say?_ '

"So you're finally back?"

She turned to see Sothis floating next to her. It had been quite a while since she last heard from the spirit in her head. Not since that night.

' _Yes, well I had to collect myself after that display. Forgive me, but the things I saw that night will stick with me for all of eternity._ '

Sothis chose to ignore the blush on Byleth's face and continued. ' _But right now, we are going off on a mission again so I must put that aside and focus on helping you out. By the way, you think there's more going on than just two territories fighting?_ '

"Yes. There's a pattern emerging. Every single time I've gone out on a mission, the same people show up. I don't want to leave things up to chance, so I'm bringing in secret help."

' _Yes, well speaking of extra help, it appears she's coming._ '

Byleth nodded to herself and turned towards the figure approaching her. "We are going to be putting what you've learned to the test. I know you don't like being near people so I figured this would suit you fine."

"I-I guess you are right… nobody can see me… can they?"

Byleth just shook her head in response. "No. They are long gone. But we will catch up. You will hide wherever you can and keep an eye out for anything that doesn't seem right. You protect the Golden Deer."

"Oh, but what if I miss? Or I sneeze?! Then everybody will know I'm here! Oh stupid, this was a bad idea! Stupid Ber-"

She quickly clasped a hand over the figures mouth to shut them up. "You came to me to learn how to use Ki. I made sure you could learn without being near anybody else. But soon you will have to train with others. Right now however, you'll be keeping watch. I've arranged another carriage for you, all you have to do is keep your distance and protect the Golden Deer."

"…O-Okay Professor… I will try my best."

Byleth smiled and ruffled the figures hair. Something her dad always did to her and she watched the figure run to a carriage that was set up.

' _You really think she's ready?_ '

"She has to put it into practice soon. And she's a great sniper. Let's just hope her desire to be by herself will work in our favour."

' _I hope so too…_ '

* * *

"Why did Miss Byleth stay behind?! It'll take her forever to catch up to us!" Hilda yelled, sitting in the same carriage as Claude who at the moment was just leaning back, with his trademark smirk.

"Ah, you underestimate Teach, my dear Hilda. Just you wait, she'll catch up." He said while waggling a finger at her.

Before Hilda could even mutter a response, they heard tapping coming from the door of the carriage. She looked at her house leader with a deadpan expression. "You can't be serious."

"Observe."

He opened the carriage door, but saw nobody there. Huh. That was strange. He could've sworn Byleth would've shown up.

Until a sea of blue overtook his vision as she popped her out from on top and her hair covered his face.

"Good to see you Teach." Claude greeted despite having hair covering him as Byleth slowly got inside the carriage and closed the door.

"Yeah… can you guys catch me up on who's who now? I don't want to be embarrassed."

* * *

Edelgard sighed. It did feel strange to just be by her own house instead of with 141. Don't get her wrong, she loved the Black Eagles, but it just felt strange to her.

"Ah, Edelgard. Do you have a moment?"

She turned around to see Seteth approaching her. That's strange, they didn't have a session booked for this week. As if sensing her thoughts, he very quickly shook his head.

"We do not have a counselling session today. I was wondering if you could entertain me with a little question, before you go?"

Edelgard tilted her head in confusion at this. She really didn't want to be near him, but she didn't want to appear rude. So she nodded in response.

"Very good. My question is this. Would you allow ten people to die to save one person?"

Ah, so it was a philosophical question he had asked. She had to admit, she wasn't expecting something like this. But then again, Seteth did seem like the type to study philosophy. Edelgard decided to indulge and answered.

"It depends on the context. Who is the person I'm trying to save? Who are the ten people who's lives I have in my hands? Various factors can impact my answer."

Seteth nodded with a warm smile, letting himself enjoy this occasion. It was fun to do this, and Edelgard's viewpoints would be fascinating to explore. "You are correct. I would know that if I had to kill ten people in order to save Flayn, I would do so in a heartbeat."

"Well, that is a surprise to hear." Edelgard replied, with sarcasm lacing her voice. "A member of the church talking of killing."

"I can detect your sarcasm, Edelgard. Yes, it seems hypocritical that we use the Goddess as an excuse to kill. But such things are necessary. Though that doesn't mean to say that I enjoy them. Let me rephrase it then. If you had to kill ten strangers in order to save Ms Dorothea, would you do it?"

"Well, of course I would." Edelgard said, without missing a beat. "She is a dear friend to me, and her life means a lot to me."

"Ah, but what of the ten strangers? They are individuals with their own lives. Some could have families of their own, and with their deaths, their children would never see them again."

Edelgard had to fight back the urge to gag at the thought of that. A baby girl wondering when her parents would be coming back… but they wouldn't… because of her…

She quickly shook her head and her head high. "It does not matter. I would still save Dorothea."

"But would she want you to?" Seteth asked, folding his arms behind his back as he watched Edelgard freeze up again. Clearly she never considered that.

"I know for a fact that while I would kill a lot if people in order to ensure Flayn's safety, she would not feel the same way. She would feel that one life isn't worth killing ten over. She would hate me if I did that. Perhaps never speak to me ever again. Do you think Dorothea would feel the same?"

"I… I do not know…"

"There you are!"

Both Seteth and Edelgard looked up to see Jeralt approaching them. "I've been looking all over for you, kid. We're leaving soon."

"My apologies, Professor Jeralt." Seteth said, nodding to him. "I was merely having a debate with Edelgard on the subject of life. I thoroughly enjoyed it Edelgard. Perhaps we are not so different, you and I."

She wanted to say differently. That she was nothing like those that had enslaved humanity and prevented them from evolving further. But… he was right.

He had a similar mindset to her when it came to the questions… but he understood the consequences of his actions.

…Did she?

"I hope to have another debate like this Edelgard." Seteth smiled, nodding to her before walking away as Edelgard just stared ahead.

"Yes… me too…"

* * *

"…And finally there's Holst Goneril, the head of House Goneril. The one we will be helping."

Byleth nodded, while listening to Claude and Hilda try their best to teach her about the important names she should know on her visit.

"Goneril… so he's related to Hilda?"

"Yup, that's my big brother!" Hilda chirped, kicking her feet back and forth while looking out the window. "He's a big softie, so you don't need to worry too much about him. If anything, Claude should be more scared."

"Me? Why? I think we got along quite well in the times we spoke." Claude replied, confused on why Holst wouldn't take a liking to him.

"Oh, but you've been near his baby sister for months now." Hilda giggled, giving a wink. "He wouldn't appreciate you trying to take advantage of a sweet innocent girl and tempting her to corruption."

"Is that so?" Claude said as he crossed his hands behind his neck and winked back. "You mind pointing me towards this girl? Because all I'm seeing right now is a little troublemaker in front of me."

Hilda gasped in shock and punched him in the arm. "Rude!"

Byleth looked back and forth between the bantering of the two. She knew how close they were with one another, the question was how close though… Hilda almost always showed up when Claude was training and he happily accepted her company. And she always cheered him on in fights too. Perhaps she was looking too deep into it, but it was nice to see such a close friendship.

"Oh, look at that! We're here Teach!"

She blinked out of her thoughts and saw Claude reach for the door handle. "Allow me. After all, what sort of host would I be if I didn't let our esteemed guest see the Alliance for herself?"

Byleth nodded and got out of the carriage, and looked around at the scenery before her. Claude was right in one aspect. It certainly was a beautiful place to behold. Unlike the harsh winter climate of Faerghus, Leicester had plains of grass as far as the eye can see. And in the distance, she could make out a series of mountains, and on the plains were lush forests full of animal wildlife. She could see herself visiting here from time to time. She couldn't remember any other time being here, aside from Leonie's village. Perhaps she should start doing that more.

"It's been a while since you've been here, hasn't it, Professor?" Leonie piped up, walking next to her and stretching her arms. "I can see it in your eyes. It isn't much compared to the Adrestian Empire, but it's still home."

"I disagree." Byleth replied. "You have a beautiful land here. I was thinking of coming here from time to time."

Leonie smiled at her words, maybe Captain Jeralt could come too! But her smile quickly turned into a growl at the sound of a certain someone's voice.

"Ah, so our esteemed Mercenary has been captured by the beauty of our land." Lorenz chuckled to himself, looking over at Byleth. "Oh my, I don't believe we have been properly introduced."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. A pleasure to meet you , my lady."

Byleth honestly didn't know what to say and tried to form a smile. "Ummm… yes. The honour is in my… court?"

Though a certain someone was not happy one bit as Leonie growled at the Noble. "Could you kindly buzz off?!"

"Why Leonie! I'm simply greeting Ms Eisner here." Lorenz replied, after standing up and standing in his usual pose. That pompous pose Leonie hated. "Is there a sense of jealousy I am detecting? Would you like me to do the same to you?"

"In your dreams. You're making her uncomfortable!" Leonie yelled, as Byleth saw the others approaching and inwardly thanked the Goddess that a fight would be avoided.

But she saw something was immediately off now that she truly looked at her surroundings. There was no battlefield at all. In fact, they were in front of a settlement which was filled with people. "I'm… confused. Are those the bandits?"

Claude slapped his hand and cursed himself. "Oh damn, I forgot to tell you. We are in Daphnel right now. We're stopping here for the night to get some rest and deliver some of the goods we brought over with us. Also to pick up some company."

Byleth tilted her head in response. "Company?"

"He is referring to us."

Everybody turned around to see a woman walking up to them, as well as a man who was next to her. The students of the Golden Deer perked up when they saw the pair, but Hilda cheered loudly sprinting towards the man with her arms spread open for a wide.

"HOLSTYYYYYYY!" She squealed jumping into Holst's arms and giggling when he spun her around.

"I see my baby sister is doing wonderfully!" Holst laughed loudly before setting her down. "No boys have been going after you, have they?"

"Oh Holsty, you know you don't have to worry about little old me! I can handle myself!"

Byleth realised she was looking at General Holst, Hilda's older brother. Now that she really looked at him, she could see the resemblance between the two. The trademark pink hair for one, though Holst definitely had much shorter hair in contrast to his sister. Same pink eyes too. And from what she could gather from the weapon strapped to his back, both favoured the axe.

Though the real question is, why is he here rather than at the place where all the bandits were?

"It's good to see you again, boy." The woman smiled while walking up to Claude and giving him a tap on the shoulder. "You've definitely improved a lot since the last time I saw you. You've even gotten a little buffer. You must be a hit with the ladies."

"Oh, you know me Judith-" Claude started to say, but was interrupted by the woman.

"LADY Judith."

"…Lady Judith. The only love I have is my mind."

The woman now known as Judith just gave a knowing smirk. "I think we both know you're lying."

As if suddenly realising Byleth was here, Judith gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I got so caught up with Claude here that I didn't notice you. I'm Judith von Daphnel. You must be his Professor."

Byleth blinked and quickly shook her head, pointing to Hanneman who was talking to Holst. "No, he's the Professor of the Golden Deer."

Judith looked over at him and scrunched her nose. "Nah, definitely not. The boy mentioned you a lot in his letters. Apparently you're quite the enigma."

She then noticed the brown tail swishing about and blinked in shock. "You told me about her tail, but even seeing it now is hard to believe."

Byleth looked at her tail and decided to have it wrap round her waist for now to stop weirding out Judith. "I'm Byleth Eisner. Pleased to meet you."

"So give it to me straight, Byleth." Judith said, tilting her head towards Claude. "Has he been playing nice?"

"Of course I have-"

"Well, he likes to pull pranks on his classmates." Byleth started to list off the things she has to put up with. "He always scares Lysithea by pretending there's ghosts."

"Well that's harmless-" Claude tried to defend but was cut off again.

"And then he always makes Edelgard's training difficult by tickling her or teasing her."

"Okay that's a little unfair-"

"And then he uses his Ki to mess around with Lorenz."

"That one he had coming!"

Judith nodded to herself and smirked at Byleth. "I like you. You definitely have a lot on your plate."

"Thank you but… the reason we're here?"

"Oh yes, that's right." Judith said as Holst joined her and the students all gathered around. "Well, as I'm sure Claude told you, we will be setting off tomorrow morning. General Holst only came here to request my assistance which I gladly obliged to. Though it may be a little overkill to get you guys involved too. Ah, but that can wait until tomorrow. The townsfolk of Daphnel can take care of the supplies you brought to us, make yourselves at home, you must be tired!"

"Yes!" Hilda cheered, grabbing Mariannes hand. "Let's go shopping!"

"W-Who, me? Oh I'm not so good with fashion…"

But before Hilda could go running off, the collar of her shirt was grabbed as she was now suspended in the air with her legs flailing in place as she tried to run away. It was Byleth who looked at her with a stern glare. "We are going to get weapons first. Your axe is in terrible condition and you need a new one."

Hilda just gave up and bowed her head whining loudly. "Miss Byleeeeeeeeeeeeeth! You're a meanie…"

"Excellent idea, Miss Byleth!" Holst exclaimed as she dropped Hilda who just crumpled to the ground still whining. "You will make my dear little sister a fine warrior yet! Off to the blacksmiths Hilda! I spotted a fantastic axe this morning with your name on it!"

"Not you too…." Hilda whimpered as she was literally dragged to the town, with her heels creating tracks on the ground. It was quite a comedic sight to see.

"That girl is so much trouble…" Byleth sighed loudly. In all honesty, Byleth did not like Hilda at all.

It was just because she was so lazy! She was like the complete opposite of what Byleth strived to be. She always trained, and always wanted to help others.

But Hilda? From what she saw, she barely attended her own training classes. She saw her get others to do work for her, and mostly just spent her time chatting to Marianne. It was infuriating!

"Just you wait, Teach." Claude said as he noticed her looks. "You'll be seeing a whole different side of her tomorrow. Now come on, it's time you chilled out."

Byleth just nodded and followed Claude, before wondering how the others were getting on.

* * *

"You heretics! You would dare defy the Goddess?! Your lives are-"

The man's words were cut short when a mini axe made its way into his head, splitting it in two before dissipating.

Edelgard sighed as she summoned a Ki axe into her hands again and shook her head. "If I hear more screaming about the Goddess, I swear…"

But she looked at the axes in her hands and smiled. "But at least my training in producing Ki weapons has beared its fruits. I can now dual wield axes…"

"Yuck, did you have to be so brutal, Edie?"

Edelgard turned around and saw Dorothea walking up to her with her nose wrinkled in disgust. The Princess just shrugged and dissipated her weapons. "I had enough of his insane preachings. Is that the last of them?"

"Yup!" Dorothea chirped. "Thank goodness, I don't think I can stand the sight of the dead bodies any longer."

That's when Edelgard remembered her discussion with Seteth earlier and looked over to her friend who was tucking her spell book away into her belt. "Dorothea. Can I ask you a question?"

The Songstress blinked in surprise but gave her bright smile. "Of course Edie. What's on your mind? Is Ferdinand bothering you again? Because you let me know, and I'll set that boy straight."

Edelgard ended up laughing from that statement and shook her head. "No, no. But thank you for the offer. No, I wanted to ask… if you could save one person. But you would have to kill ten people, would you do it?"

"Oh, it's one of those questions…" Dorothea mused and placed a finger on her cheek and pursed her lips. "Hmmm… that's a tough one. But… I would try to find a way to save everybody."

She honestly expected that answer, and so Edelgard pressed on with a question of her own. "What if you wanted to save a country, but… you would have to go to war to do it?"

"Wow, that's a step up, isn't it? Well, I wouldn't do it."

"B-But what if it would benefit everyone?"

Dorothea shrugged and folded her arms. "You wouldn't know for sure if it would benefit everyone. Say here in Fódlan, there's many different cultures and jobs. I don't think they would appreciate it just because someone says it's for their own good that it would have to go away in the faces of war. You would try to find a compromise to make sure everybody gets something out of it at the end of the day."

Edelgard was staring at Dorothea with a look of mixed feelings, which Dorothea didn't notice and smiled, adjusting her hat. "Well, I have to say, that was fun Edie. I think we both managed to get our brains working full gear. Now come on, I'm sure Professor Jeralt is ready to go back."

"Y-You go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Oh? Well, no problem!"

She watched her classmate run off and just stood there… looking at the corpse of the Western Church member that she killed. The blood on her.

Was this necessary?

Usually, Hubert would put her mind at ease and told her that what she is doing is for the good of Fódlan but… he wasn't here.

Which allowed her mind to run rampant. All these talks with Dimitri and Claude. The debates with Seteth. She got so much more insight than when she was always around Hubert.

Not that she resented him, far from it. But he didn't really give much thought to what if's and let her convince herself that what she was doing was right.

…But she didn't feel that way. She didn't want to ruin her friends lives.

She… didn't want a war.

She wanted to be happy.

* * *

"I hope I do not have to ask you all to stay alert." Gilbert said as the Blue Lions made their way to the hiding spot of Miklan's bandits, ready to take them on.

Dimitri was staring at the place in which the bandits were using as their base and clenched his fists. "Conand Tower…"

"This area was the site of a massive battle several hundred years ago. It's when invasions from the north were at their peak." Gilbert explained to the Blue Lions who all looked at him. "Back then, the tower was built for both surveillance and defence. It will be difficult to seize it."

That's when he directed his attention to Dimitri, Ashe, Felix and Annette. "But with your abilities, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I've heard tales about this… Professor Byleth. How she completely destroyed a mountain near Gaspard. If that's the power she is teaching you, then I must ask you to keep yourself under control."

Dimitri noticed how he was specifically looking at him and bowed his head. "There is no need to be concerned about me."

"Did you all see the local villages when we came in?" Ingrid asked, holding her left arm with a sense of anxiety washing over her. "Those raids left them in bad shape. I don't think they will survive the winter."

"We can help them out after we are done." Ashe suggested with a smile towards his friend. "It won't be that hard to get them the supplies they need."

"If those bandits raided to survive, then I guess I could understand…" Annette muttered to herself with a sad look. "But they don't. They just do it for the fun of it."

That's when Sylvain piped up with an uncharacteristically serious look. "Don't bother trying to understand those lowlifes Annette. They're not worth it."

"Sylvain…" Mercedes said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The leader… he is your older brother, is he not?"

"Don't worry about my well-being, Mercedes." Sylvain said, giving one of his usual smiles to her. "He's no longer of my house, or my brother. He's just a thief at the end of the day. And he stole something that has been in my house for generations. I'm here to get it back."

"We just… don't want you to have any regrets." Dimitri said, but just got a laugh in response.

"I'm sorry, your Highness. But I think we are well past the point of regret. Just you four do your stuff. We will help in any way we can." He pumped his fist and smirked at the group, to which Felix responded.

"Finally, something we can agree on. Are we going to keep standing around, or are we going to finish this?"

That's when Dimitri looked up to see dark clouds hovering over them and nodded. "Indeed. A storm approaches. We best do this now. Everyone, be on your guard. After what happened in Gaspard, I'm not taking any chances."

Gilbert hummed in response and saw Annette looking at him. "Is there something you wish to say?"

The red head opened her mouth but quickly closed it and stared at the tower. "No sir… let's go."

Dimitri then summoned a lance, while Felix summoned a sword. Ashe had his bow drawn but knew how to make arrows at this point while Annette held Ki in one hand and magic in the other.

"Yes. Let's go."

* * *

"Come on, why not have a drink?"

Byleth gently pushed away her mug of ale and shook her head. "Last time I drank, it ended with me in bed with staff members. The wound is too fresh."

Judith just stared at her with surprise written on her face and smirked. "Then maybe I should feed you more drinks~"

"Uhhhh…."

"Relax, I'm kidding. You don't have to drink if you don't want to."

"Then allow me to take it!"

Both women watched Holst pick up Byleth's drink and down it in one before slamming the mug on the table and sat next to the Mercenary. "So, Miss Byleth! How are you enjoying our fine land? It's not like the Empire, but it's home!"

"Yes, I remember Leonie saying the same thing to me." Byleth replied, as she watched the students all together. "You have a beautiful place to call home."

"Well now, strong AND a smooth talker? You and I will get on just fine."

Judith chuckled while drinking from her mug. "So, you confident in the Golden Deer to help?"

"Well, I can only speak for Claude, Leonie and Lysithea as Hanneman is their main teacher. Though if you ask me, I see one weak link in their group."

She looked specifically at Hilda who was squeezing Claude's muscles again and looking between his and Raphael's. Holst saw who she was referring to and shrugged.

"It's all an act for her. It's honestly a result of how she grew up."

"What, born with a silver spoon in her mouth?"

"In a way." Holst replied and stared at his sister showing off her own muscles, which to Byleth's surprise, she had quite the beefy arms. And she barely trained. "You see, I'm the head of our house. And I garnered a form of reputation amongst all of Fódlan."

"Well, you have two reputations. One of them involving mushrooms." Judith joked which prompted Holst to laugh.

"Do not worry my dear, I am staying away from those today." He then turned back to Byleth and continued.

"And when you have siblings, there's pressure that ends up coming down on them. And for Hilda, that pressure is very hard on her. It's why she pretends to be lazy, because she knows there's no point in trying because everybody will just compare her to me. Now, those are her words, not mine. I've seen her potential and she can blow me out of the water if she seriously tries. But she doesn't."

"I'm sorry General, but until I see her in battle, I am unable to believe that." Byleth replied whilst looking at Hilda being hoisted up by Claude and her shrieking with laughter. "They're quite close, wouldn't you say?"

Holst was about to make a retort, but Judith cut in to answer that one. "I'll speak for the big brother over there. Yeah, they met at one of the Noble's meetings a few months before he was declared heir to the Alliance. They hit it off immediately. Honestly, I think Claude was thankful because to my knowledge, he didn't really have much friends before her."

"Well, he better keep his hands to himself, that's all I'm saying!" Holst boomed. "I'm watching where his hands are at all times!"

"I think it's cute." Byleth commented, allowing herself to smile. "My opinion on Hilda aside, I think they would make a cute couple."

"Oh, we playing matchmaker are we? I like it!" Judith grinned and got closer. "What do you say, I know of a way to get them… closer."

"I will not allow it! My baby sister is to remain pure!" Holst shouted as he stood up but just got a laugh from Judith in response.

"I'm only kidding, you big lug! But you can't deny how close they are, and how happy Hilda is."

Holst looked over to the students to see Hilda hugging Claude from behind and laughing as Claude laughed with her. "….I suppose they are cute…."

"There you go, was that so hard?!"

"Yes…."

Judith then decided to put her focus on Byleth and smirked. "What about you? You got anybody in your life?"

Byleth wasn't expecting that and just blinked in response. She honestly had no clue. Sure, she had friends and her students but… nobody she had feelings for. At least not yet.

Though she did like when Edelgard bounced in place when she gave her praise. It was really cute to see her act like that-

Wait, CUTE?!

She fought the blush creeping up on her and shook her head. "Not at the moment, no."

"Eh, don't worry about it. Being single isn't too bad. Take it from me." Judith chuckled and downed the rest of her drink. "Another!"

"Woman, we have a battle tomorrow!"

"Too late!"

Byleth just cracked another smile at the banter between the two but then looked out the window. She hoped it would all be fine tomorrow… but she felt like that wasn't meant to be…

* * *

"And you know your orders, so you not?" Thales said through a Scouter that Kronya was wearing as well as a hood to hide her appearance. She grinned evilly and nodded.

"Oh yes, and I know exactly on how to do it too. Trust me, Holst Goneril will be maggot food by the end of the day tomorrow, mark my words!"

"Excellent." Thales nodded and continued. "And you know where to apply our… experiment?"

"Of course, my liege!" She pulled out a satchel which held a dark crystal and observed it. "It's so pretty…"

"Do not fuse with it just yet. We are still working on them. You are to use one of those Almyran's as a test subject to see if there are any kinks to work out. Do you understand?"

Kronya just grinned again and looked into the distance. "I'll put on a show! And I know how to put everything in place."

"Excellent. Then you are dismissed."

The communication ended as Kronya just cackled from her hiding spot and took her Scouter off before placing a finger on the side of her head and black mist started to overtake her. It covered her entire body before slowly dissipating and revealed an Almyran woman in her place. She twirled in place and spun on her toes.

"The perfect disguise! And now we wait for the show to begin… I will make you proud, my liege!"

Kronya then ran off into the distance calling loudly, her cloak just on the ground, forgotten about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I feel like we've got a much better pace this time around for the arc. I also wanted to build up the relationship of Claude and Hilda because shocker, I love these two together.
> 
> Also Hilda is a really great unit. But I think this Byleth, who has her Saiyan pride built in, wouldn't like someone like Hilda. But she will be surprised.
> 
> So who liked the Philosophical debates with Socrates in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey? I sure did. And I'm sure Seteth will love them too. I'm also introducing Edelgard having doubt about her goals. Remember, this Edelgard spends a lot more time with the other House Leaders, and Hubert isn't around to keep her on the path. She's slowly turning away from the dark side. Though two instances will officially break her away from TWSITD.
> 
> One more thing. We're only focusing on the Golden Deer for the rest of this arc. Purely because the Blue Lions chapter 5 will play out like in canon and the Black Eagles have finished their mission already.
> 
> So yeah, stick around for part 2. Where the battles will officially begin.
> 
> Please review, and I’ll catch you later!


	19. Chapter 19

Part 1: White Clouds

Fight at the Border

The next morning had arrived, and the group were on the road again, only this time, they were in the company of Holst and Judith too. Judith was currently nursing a hangover that she had gotten the night before from excessive drinking. But she didn't seem all that bothered, in fact, despite the headache that had made its way to her, she was laughing at Holst blustering and yelling at her.

"Woman, I thought I told you to not drink so much last night! Now you are hungover and we will be ill equipped for the coming fight!"

"Ah put a sock in it, Holst." Judith said, still laughing. "It's not the first time I've fought in a battle hungover. In fact, it's usually the perfect cure for me. You don't have to worry about a thing, I'll be bring my A-Game today."

"So, what exactly are we dealing with today?" Byleth asked, trying to get back on topic.

"Ah, somebody who wishes to know about the brief! Finally, we have somebody who appreciates order and discipline!" Holst boomed before straightening himself. "The objective is simple. Route the enemy. Those Almyran bastards will be coming from the bridge connecting the two lands together. Now we have had our fair share of tussles in the past, so I know exactly what they are like!"

"And they are like…." Byleth pressed on as Holst realised what she meant.

"My apologies! They are proud warriors! Always dashing in headfirst into battle and to take our wives and daughters home for breeding purposes!"

Both Claude and Byleth looked at each other as she noticed how reserved Claude was being about these Almyran's. This was his land he was defending, you would think that he would have more to say. But nothing.

Holst carried on talking, not noticing the looks. "And so, we must prevent those bastards from taking our land! The Leicester Alliance will not stand from an attack by those devils!"

"Forgive me General, but I doubt a small group of bandits can take a whole kingdom." Byleth replied as Holst froze in place, sweat dripping down his head. Judith laughed and slapped Byleth's back.

"Oh, I need you around more often, if only to cut off the oaf's stories! Perhaps I could give you the version without all the theatrics?"

"I liked it…" Hilda muttered with her arms crossed. "Though the part with the wives and daughters was a little too much. But I suppose I would expect no less from Almyran's."

Claude made a face at that sentence but quickly hid it away and nodded for Judith to carry on.

"Well, as Holst said, we are fending off a horde of bandits from Almyra. They aren't the most discreet bunch out there, so they will most likely announce their arrival when they show up. Now, our scouts have picked up reports and managed to see their numbers. About sixty or so bandits, all male, with no magic users, all using axes. There are a couple who have bows, but we can conclude that they only use it as a last ditch effort."

Byleth nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Get rid of them all and send them back to Almyra."

"Right on the button, Teach." Claude grinned, having gained his usual confident demeanour. "This will be a walk in the park for us. We should be arriving there soon. It's a good job you got us all new weapons."

"I was going to buy clothes with my money…." Hilda grumbled with her hands under her chin and pouting, all while staring at her shiny new steel axe.

"Ah, but you suit it rather well!" Holst boasted, which didn't do much to make his sister feel better. That's when he suddenly looked out the window and smiled. "We have arrived! Soon on our way to glory!"

Byleth slowly got out of the carriage and looked to her right in the distance to see another carriage just sitting there. ' _Good. She's in position._ '

She looked around to see the Golden Deer all file out of their carriages and onto the field in which the battle would take place. Just like Holst and Judith said, there was a giant ravine between the Leicester Alliance and the Kingdom of Almyra, all connected by a sturdy bridge. Though she couldn't see any signs of an approaching group. But then she closed her eyes and sensed their Ki. They would be here soon.

Hanneman walked forward and bowed to Judith and Holst. "May I take this time to address my students? I feel like I need to talk to them about the upcoming battle."

"Ah, a speech to inspire! I like this! By all means, go ahead my good man!" Holst replied and Judith just nodded with a smile.

"Go on."

The Golden Deer all noticed an unusually serious expression on his face as he turned to address them all. "As you all know, we are here to help General Holst in fending off Almyran bandits. Now, I would say this is a simple mission… but then I thought stopping Lord Lonato's rebellion would also be simple. I'm sure those who were that day remember what happened."

Claude, Lysithea and Leonie all looked at each other and nodded. They were vastly underprepared that day. If it wasn't for Byleth then…

The rest of the class weren't there when that fight happened. The only thing they saw that day was Byleth's attack decimating a nearby mountain. It left them with a horrible feeling in their stomach's as what has happened to cause Byleth to unleash and attack that strong. Hanneman continued and looked over to Byleth.

"It's why I specifically requested for Miss Byleth to accompany us on this mission. I don't want to leave anything to chance. I apologise for not being upfront with you, Miss Byleth. And I hope you understand why I chose you for your assistance."

The Mercenary was honestly surprised. So was the rest of the class. They were not expecting Hanneman to be this serious. Usually he wanders off in favour of his Crest research. Perhaps the incident at Castle Gaspard changed him. And in Byleth's case, he agreed with her own thoughts about this mission. But Claude nodded with a smile.

"He's right guys. Be ready for anything. We almost lost our lives that day, and I'd hate for the same to happen with you too."

"I-Is it too late to back out?" Ignatz whimpered while shaking in his boots. Lysithea huffed to herself and shook her head at her classmate.

"Honestly, you signed up for the Academy. Show some spine!"

"R-Right! Of course…"

"Do we even need to be here?!" Hilda whined while resting her axe on her shoulder. "Why not just send Miss Byleth and the others in the Task Force and just be done with it?"

"Because we are not invincible." Byleth replied. "We may have this power, but I'm sure your classmates wouldn't like it if you were powerless to do anything if they couldn't get to you in time."

"I get it!" Hilda groaned. "Still though… there are times where I wonder if I should even be here. Goddess knows I can't do any of those fancy tricks. All I can do is swing an axe."

Byleth chose to ignore the girls whining and looked around. "So you said that the bandits would be showing up? It's strange, I sensed them coming but I guessed that they would've arrived by now-"

"ATTENTION SCUM OF THE ALLIANCE!"

…Byleth already felt a headache coming on as she looked to the other side of the bridge and saw the bandit leader approaching from his side. He didn't look like much, so it would be easy pickings. That is, if things went smoothly. She just had to get through these buffoons and their shameless ramblings and bravado.

"I HEAR YOU, YOU FILTHY ALMYRAN'S!"

…Oh right, they had a buffoon on their side too. Holst was clearly enjoying the theatrics of this as she watched him stroll to his end of the bridge with his axe by his side. "IS THERE A REASON YOU COME KNOCKING AT MY DOOR AFTER THE BEATING WE GAVE YOU LAST TIME?!"

' _Must they be so loud?_ ' Sothis muttered to herself as the only people who weren't weirded out, were the Golden Deer. Even Hanneman was treating this like an everyday occurrence. Judging by the way this conversation was going, it might just be the case.

"THAT WAS JUST A WARNING LAST TIME! WE WEREN'T TRYING!"

Holst laughed loudly and folded his arms. "THEN WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE, THEN? BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ITCHING FOR A FIGHT FOR WEEKS!"

The leader just growled loudly and drew his sword. "RIGHT, MEN! FOR ALMYRA! DRENCH THEIR LANDS WITH THEIR OWN BLOOD!"

Holst drew his axe in return and grinned. "MAYBE WORK ON YOUR MONOLOGUES! NOBODY LIKES DARK AND GRITTY!"

Byleth and Sothis just stared with a dumbfounded look as the rest just shook their heads. "This is…"

' _Absolutely ridiculous!_ ' Sothis screamed. ' _This isn't a battle! It's like children's theatre! I can't believe we were dragged out for this._ '

Holst then turned around and raised his axe. "Time to meet our enemies head on! FOR GLORY! FOR LEICESTER!"

He charged forward and just left the rest in a stupefied stance. Before Raphael raised his arms and yelled. "FOR LEICESTER!"

"Oh Holsty…" Hilda groaned trying to cover her red face. "Why in front of my friends…."

"Well… I knew Lord Goneril was… eccentric." Claude said, trying to come up with a way to describe him. "He's never like this at the round table meetings."

"Ugh, the fool has an obsession with making a performance out of it." Judith mentioned, walking past him. "We should help him before he gets himself killed."

"I thought it was nice…" Marianne muttered to herself and looked down at her hands but Lysithea just scoffed.

"I could've been training back at the Monastery, but no I have to be part of this ridiculous scene. Okay, let's go."

"Maybe I could've gone with Captain Jeralt and the Black Eagles…" Leonie said to herself as Byleth walked forward, peering into the distance and her jaw slacked seeing a mass horde of bandits coming.

"I… think we miscounted how many of them are here."

Everyone looked at the direction Byleth was pointing at and paled. Judith ran a hand through her hair and cursed. "How did so many escape our scouts? There's like five hundred of them!"

"Uuuuuugh, let's just kill them already!" Hilda groaned loudly lifting her axe and readying herself. Claude looked at Hanneman and smiled.

"What're our orders, Professor?"

Hanneman just adjusted his jacket and pointed to Byleth. "Actually, I am relinquishing control of command over to Miss Byleth. She's more capable of this than I am. What are your orders Miss Byleth?"

Byleth just blinked in response. Her? In command? Preposterous! Though now that she thought about it, she did give commands back at Castle Gaspard. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad-

' _Would you focus and tell them_

 _What to do?! They're coming!_ ' Sothis screamed in her head which snapped Byleth out of her thoughts.

"Right. Ummm… Judith, I want you to protect Holst. I feel like he is in over his head."

"Got it." Judith saluted and charged towards the oncoming battle.

"Hilda, Raphael, Lorenz and Lysithea. I want you in front and trying to take the brunt of it."

"Uuuuuuuuugh, fine!" Hilda groaned picking up her axe and running towards the enemies.

"Alright! Let's put these muscles to work!" Raphael yelled, following Hilda with his steel gauntlets.

"Let's make this quick." Lysithea declared, summoning magic and Ki together and rushing ahead.

"Off we go!" Lorenz yelled, kicking his horse into full gallop while grabbing his tome.

With that taken care of, Byleth turned to Leonie, Ignatz and Claude. "I want you three to provide covering support. I don't doubt their abilities, nor yours. But I want to make sure they don't have any advantages."

"Can do, Teach. Leave it to me." Claude smiled, giving a two fingered salute and drawing his bow and forming a Ki arrow.

"I feel like I should be on the front lines, but I'll trust your judgment." Leonie grumbled and drew her own bow that she was training to use Ki arrows with.

"C-Can I really do this?" Ignatz stammered, taking his place beside the archers as Byleth looked at Marianne.

"What kind of spells do you know?"

The girl blinked and just rubbed her arms while looking away. "Just healing spells… oh, and I can teleport others to me…"

"You stay with me then." Byleth declared. "If anyone is in danger, you pull them out of there to get them healed up."

"I-I can certainly try…"

"Professor Hanneman. You stay with the archers. This battle is just getting started."

"Of course."

Byleth then turned to observe the students. She wanted to see how their training was getting on. As well as looking out for funny business.

* * *

Hilda narrowed her eyes at the approaching group of enemies as she gripped her axe tightly and gritted her teeth. How dare that Mercenary make her exert herself?! She could've been happily watching from the sidelines but nooooo!

Well, she would show Byleth! Just get rid of everyone before her and she could go home.

"Get that bitch! She's the General's sister!"

She smirked a little at the boldness of the bandits. Dirty Almyran's won't get the best of her as she ducked underneath a sword swing and used the hilt of her axe to jam it into his crotch causing him to fall to the ground and clutching his shattered pride before Hilda looked over him.

"I am NOT in the mood! If I have to kill every single one of you so that woman can get off my back, then so BE IT!" She yelled and slammed her axe into his skull, splitting it in two. But then she noticed two more going after her and blew away strands of hair that were clinging to her face. "You want some?! COME AT ME!"

She dodged the various swings of weaponry coming towards her and threw her axe at a bandit which cleaved him right in his chest and she ran towards him, kicking him to the ground and tearing her axe out of his chest and turned towards the other bandit before decapitating him.

"Right, who's next… URK!"

Hilda fell to the ground when a club collided with the back of her head and left her dazed. She quickly shook it off and looked at who did that to her. One of the higher ups of the bandits if she had to guess who laughed menacingly as he dodged a swing from her axe. "Well, aren't you a cutie? Maybe once we're done I'll take you back with me so we can have some fun. That is, if I haven't caved your skull in by then."

But before he could counterattack, Hilda's axe collided with his club and shattered it in two. He watched as a symbol appeared behind her and knew what that meant. Her Crest activated as Hilda gripped her axe tighter.

"You dare make me exert myself?! To put effort into a fight?! I'll show you what happens when you make me work!"

She jumped in the air and before the bandit could react, Hilda planted her foot into his chest knocking him to the ground and raised her axe in the air and swung it right into his crotch, cleaving his manhood. He roared in pain as he desperately tried to get the blade off him and Hilda just let out a hmph.

"And I'm not interested in doing that, sorry to burst your bubble. As well as other things." Hilda then ripped her axe away and cleaved his head in two to finish the job before looking around. "Are we done yet?!"

* * *

' _Holy… crap!_ ' Sothis's jaw was on the floor at the display of power she was witnessing from the so called lazy girl. ' _She was hiding this much power and skill?! Why does she refuse to work?!_ '

Byleth couldn't believe it either. She thought very little of Hilda in the time she had known her, but here? She blew her expectations entirely out of the water! She didn't even know how to use Ki, and yet here she was swinging an axe with more power than even Edelgard!

"Yeah, what did I tell you Teach?" Claude yelled from his side as he shot a couple of bandits in the chest with Ki arrows. "Once you get her going, she's a one woman army!"

' _Interesting…_ ' Byleth thought to herself as she ordered Marianne to run up to Lorenz while the archers defended her. Hilda had so much potential. She just had to get out of this charade of laziness as she watched Hilda take out enemy after enemy.

But how are her students doing? She looked over to find out.

* * *

"Ah, thank you, my dear." Lorenz smiled as Marianne healed a nasty arrow wound on his leg. "I feel like a million gold right now."

"O-Oh, I'm sure I don't deserve such praise." Marianne muttered to herself when suddenly, the pair noticed a pair of bandits charging from behind with axes primed and ready to take them down.

But before anybody could react, two blasts came out of nowhere and threw the bandits back before two dark orbs collided with their fallen forms and ended their lives. Both Marianne and Lorenz looked behind to see Lysithea holding her hands out.

"Either you focus, or you leave. I'm not here to babysit!" She snapped and ran ahead to engage with a group as Marianne slowly shuffled back to Byleth now that Lorenz was healed up.

"I suppose I should try and make myself useful… wouldn't be doing my reputation any good if I just stand here." Lorenz muttered as he spurred his horse to charge to another group.

With Lysithea, she was ducking and dodging swings and punches left and right. Thanks to her training, the attacks coming at her felt way too slow. Not even challenging as she punched one in the face and used Reason magic to disperse the group so she wouldn't be overwhelmed.

' _Well then, let's see if this technique I've been working on will actually work._ '

She clicked her fingers at a bandit as a symbol appeared on his chest and she ran over to him, sweeping his legs from under him before slamming her fist into his chest, absorbing the symbol and power ran through her body. That's when she dispersed it and the light split to form two purple bodies resembling her. Two Lysithea clones. She smiled in triumph before sending her clones to fend off the remaining bandits.

"Finally! My cloning technique worked! Now then, let's make this quick."

* * *

"What?! Lysithea can do that?!" Leonie yelled parrying an axe away from her as she backflipped away from the bandit that got a little too close for her liking and used a Ki arrow to take him out.

"Well then, she's certainly surprising us yet again." Claude said taking pot shots at enemies while looking over at Byleth. "What you think, Teach? Should we push forward? Seems like a good opportunity."

Byleth didn't respond as she watched Judith and Holst fighting off their own group of enemies and narrowed her eyes. This was going too well. She was probably being paranoid, but after two instances in a row of her fighting Goliath's, she figured it was only a matter of time-

"Reinforcements behind us!" Hanneman shouted after spotting a large horde of Almyran bandits coming from behind.

"What?!" Holst yelled in disbelief as he decapitated his foe. "How did they do that?! The only way to this side is from the bridge!"

"Dastard's must have snuck by in the dead of night this week and hid. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting them to be this smart." Judith muttered, sheathing her sword and looked to Byleth. "Why the hell is she not fighting? We're going to get overwhelmed!"

Back with Byleth, she turned to Claude, Ignatz, Hanneman and Leonie and sighed. "Looks like you guys have to defend our backs. Can you do that?"

"Of course!" Leonie yelled, running forward. "I'll make Captain Jeralt proud!"

Byleth just shook her head. That girl had an obsession with her father. No matter, she was engaging the enemy as she looked to Hanneman and Ignatz. "Claude and Leonie will charge ahead, can you two use your bow and magic to keep them from overwhelming everyone?"

"Of course, Miss Byleth! I won't let you down!" Ignatz nodded, notching an arrow to his bow.

"Leave it to me. I will show them my prowess!" Hanneman replied as he put away his bow and took out a magic tome.

She then looked to the trees and hoped that her little helper was there, hiding and ready to assist. She wasn't too afraid as she could help at any point, but she didn't want to. She wanted the students to grow and get experience.

…As well as keep her energy in case things got worse as she saw two getting past the archers. "Marianne, stay close to me. I don't want you getting hurt."

"O-Of course…"

* * *

"Finally! Time to show you all what I'm made of!" Leonie grinned, charging forward and taking out her lance and hit a bandit in the face before using her Ki to charge it up and swung it in a wide arc taking out five at once. She pumped her fist and cheered. "If only Captain Jeralt was here to see this!"

"You know, you've had more lessons from Teach than Captain Teach at this point, right?" Claude asked, shooting Ki arrows at the reinforcements as Leonie huffed in response.

"He taught me to be the lady I am today! I will always respect that!"

"Yeah, you're hardly a lady…" Claude muttered to himself as he used Ki to propel himself skyward and slowly charged multiple arrows while slowly falling back down to the ground. He flipped upside down, gave a wink, then released a volley of Ki arrows which took out more and more enemies as he gave a mock bow to his fallen foes. But he saw Leonie glaring at him and gripping her lance so tight the woods was starting to splinter.

"You mind repeating that Claude? I seemed to have misheard you. Apparently I'm not a lady?"

"Never expected you of all people to be offended." Claude remarked with his hands behind his head. "You don't seem like the type who cares about being prim and proper."

"Just because I don't go shopping or wear perfume or wear make up doesn't make me any less of a lady, I'll have you know!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Let's get rid of the rest of these guys."

Leonie nodded and took her stance. "Let's do this. And try not to steal too many kills."

"Why not make a bet?" Claude asked but Leonie just rolled her eyes.

"I've heard what happens with you and bets, it's not happening."

"Ah, you're no fun…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the empty forests of the Adrestian Empire, a group of mages from Castle Gaspard were huddled together and trying to contact someone using a crystal ball.

"Try and communicate to him!" One of them yelled, frantically looking around. "The longer we remain out here, the more likely we will be caught! We shouldn't be out here!"

"Shut your trap, I'm almost there!" The leader of the group growled as his hands flowed a dark purple while trying to activate the orb. "Besides, we are in the middle of nowhere, nobody will expect to find us here."

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew pat them and the group had to grab onto something to prevent themselves from being blown away. But when they got their bearings straight, they realised something.

"OUR COMMUNICATION ORB IS GONE!" One of them screamed, but whimpered as he heard a voice from behind.

"You're right. Nobody would expect to find you here."

The trio slowly turned around to see Shamir leaning against a tree while holding the orb in her hands. "Fortunately, that's where I come in. I could sense where you were. And unfortunately for you,-"

She crushed the orb in her hands and slowly let the shards fall to the ground and walked towards the terrified trio while cracking her knuckles. "-you got nowhere left to run. I'd say you were remnants of the Western Church, but now I see that you're not. You serve someone else, based on the fact that the Western Church don't have those orbs you were using. Not to mention you were in the background at Castle Gaspard. Now it's time to start talking, or this'll be difficult."

"We ain't telling you nothing!" The third mage screamed, jumping back. "What are you going to do anyway? Fight us? Hate to break it to you, missy, but we got you outnumbered three to one! If anything, YOU should get out of here!"

"Please stop-" The leader tried to say but his colleague continued.

"If I were you, I'd either run away, or prepare to get decimated by our magic! So, what's it going to be? You CUNT!"

Silence washed over the scenery as Shamir just stared at the one that just called her… THAT word. His buddies were cowering in shock at what he just said and looked at Shamir for a reaction. She just took in a deep breath through her nose before brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Yup."

She charged over at blinding speed and swung her leg out to the one who badmouthed her and it connected with his head sending him flying through several tree trunks. She looked at the remaining two and charged Ki in her hands.

"I'm done playing nice. Time to talk, or die. In fact, no, I've got some anger to get through so I'll beat you within an inch of your life before we talk."

"Let's get this bitch!" The third mage roared after getting up from where he landed. "I'm not going down without a fight!"

"…We're going to die, aren't we?" The second mage asked the leader who just nodded.

"Unfortunately."

* * *

Back at the Alliance, Byleth was honestly so proud of the progress her students were making. Well, sure, they were only bandits, nothing too special. But it was still satisfying watching them dismantle so many forces at once. And Marianne didn't even have to go out to heal that often, much to the girls relief. It seemed she had gotten quite attached to the Mercenary as Byleth kept her safe.

But then she heard a voice that caused her to freeze.

" _ **GIVE HER BACK!"**_

She narrowed her eyes and looked around, and told Marianne to stay close. But the healer mage just looked… confused.

"M-Miss Byleth, there's nothing here."

Byleth was confused but then saw her vision start to blur and reality warped and shifted around her. She realised what was going on and sighed. "Marianne, I'm going to be gone for a few minutes. Don't panic, I just have fainting spells."

"W-What?!" Marianne gasped as she watched the Mercenary fall to the ground, and started to panic. "Oh dear, oh dear, it's my fault! Oh, what am I going to do?! Was it my Crest? No it's never caused people to faint before…"

While she was rambling to herself, Sothis watched Byleth's mind shut off from outside sources and hummed while rubbing her chin. ' _She's talked about visions before… but is this the first time it's happened to this extreme? Curious…_ '

* * *

" _ **Ugh… where am I?"**_

_**Byleth slowly picked herself up and rubbed her head. Another vision. Great. But what was strange was the fact she wasn't even in the Alliance anymore. In fact, she didn't know where she was at all. Maybe another pet of Fódlan? She recognised that it was dark and stormy right now and there were two armies in the distance. She recognised the banners. One was the Adrestian Empire and the other was the Church of Seiros.** _

_**On the Empire's side, Edelgard, Hubert and Shamir stood by and stared down the opposing forces of Rhea, Catherine and Gilbert. Hubert though, was worried.** _

" _ **I am not sure that we can escape from this one unscathed." He muttered with a hand on his chin. "Most of our fighting was on the Kingdom's armies."**_

_**Edelgard grunted as she was holding her side in pain. It was true. This was the Battle of Tailtean Plains. She had just fought Dimitri in a bloody battle that she barely won. Though thanks to being the Professor of the Black Eagles, Edelgard got more training from Byleth, but that didn't change just how much of a monster Dimitri was when it came to using his Ki. She could only wonder how the battle would've went if Byleth chose the Blue Lions and trained Dimitri more instead.** _

_**But aside from broken ribs and exhaustion, Edelgard managed to win. But Hubert was right. There was no way they could repel the army of the Church like this. She herself was in no condition to fight. That's when the Archbishop stepped forward, wild malice and hatred in her eyes.** _

" _ **Attention, those who defy the Goddess! You will be slaughtered for the crimes you have committed on this soil! Either surrender, or fight! I don't care as you will all die by my hand by the end of this day."**_

" _ **My lady." Catherine slowly walked over and kept her eyes trained on Shamir, who sported some cuts and bruises herself from the fight. "Leave her to me please. I'd rather it be me who cuts her down."**_

_**Rhea just nodded with that same feral look in her eyes. "I grant you permission to do that. Besides, it's the ones who has taken her from me that I want."** _

_**Edelgard cursed under her breath, still holding her side. She couldn't fight, she spent too much energy fighting Dimitri. And that alone almost killed her! She had to think of a plan. Maybe Hubert could-** _

" _ **El. Leave it to me."**_

_**The Emperor gasped, feeling a hand on her shoulder as she slowly smiled seeing Future Byleth smiling back… and placing a kiss on her head. But Edelgard wasn't convinced.** _

" _ **My teacher… are you sure?"**_

" _ **Get our forces out of here. Shamir and I will hold them off."**_

_**That's when Hubert walked up and bowed. "It is the best course of action for us right now. Professor, I thank you."** _

" _ **You better live." Edelgard said as Future Byleth smiled.**_

" _ **Don't I always?"**_

_**But then her smile morphed into a grimace as she stared down the Archbishop who was struggling to keep her anger in. "You… you who have taken from me time, and time, and time again! This place will be your grave! Perhaps I shall cut that hideous tail off before getting my mother back, you miserable half breed!"** _

" _ **Yep. She's lost it." Shamir muttered as she then saw Catherine unsheathe Thunderbrand. "Unfortunately, she hasn't."**_

_**But then the Mercenary's eyes widened when she saw something different about her former partner. Tinges of green in her hair. "Or maybe she finally has…."** _

_**Both met in the middle as Shamir looked her up and down. "So care to explain the little make over?"** _

" _ **Lady Rhea gave me power. The power needed to beat you. I wasn't able to keep up with you, but now the playing field is even."**_

_**Shamir just looked at her with such disappointment. "You gave up your humanity."** _

" _ **You did too by going with the traitor. Now, I believe we both know what is to happen."**_

_**Catherine aimed Thunderbrand at Shamir as the woman just nodded in response and started to power up.** _

_**Meanwhile, Future Byleth watched the Imperial Army leave and faced down Rhea who drew her sword and she in turn drew the Sword of the Creator. But then the Archbishop spoke.** _

" _ **I know you are weaker than before. And I've been training. I know for a fact that you will not win today."**_

_**Future Byleth just cursed under her breath. It was true. Compared to her academy days she wasn't nearly as strong. All thanks to what happened that day. But she wasn't worried.** _

" _ **I'm afraid you are wrong, Rhea. For I have been holding back a great deal of power."**_

_**That's when Shamir looked at Future Byleth with wide eyes. "Are you sure your body can handle it?"** _

" _ **It'll give us enough time."**_

_**As Future Byleth stabbed the sword into the ground, and clenched her fists before she started to power up. And so much was building up inside her that it was cracking the ground beneath her and the heat from it was evaporating the rain around her. The knights just watched in shock and horror as her aura started turning red with her muscles bulging.** _

" _ **What the hell…?" Catherine gasped, having forgotten her fight with Shamir as they all just stared. But Rhea knew what she was doing and she was now panicking.**_

" _ **No! There's no way you know that!"**_

_**Future Byleth gritted her teeth and roared into the sky as the aura got fiercer and bigger and now looked like flames. Before she then exhaled and the aura dimmed down… until she opened her eyes and yelled.** _

" _ **KAIO-KEN!"**_

_**And her aura exploded as her power increased by so much. Her muscles were bigger than before and unfortunately for the Church, she was way too strong now. But she couldn't keep it up for long.** _

_**She had to buy time. And she nodded to Shamir who nodded back and shocked everyone by performing the technique too. Both women stared down the army with their auras bright red and charged.** _

_**They just had to hope their bodies could hold out.** _

* * *

" _ **So… this is one of the futures?" Byleth asked herself as the image before her was still. "So Shamir was always by my side. I'm glad. But more importantly, what is this Kaio-Ken? Is this something I learned? And how am I weaker in the future? Oh, I don't know…"**_

_**That's when the world around her started to melt as she heard a voice calling out her name.** _

" _ **Byleth… come on… answer me!"**_

_**It was Sothis as her vision slowly went to normal. She was back in the same place in her mind. With the throne and Sothis sitting on top. The spirit just sighed in relief and shook her head.** _

" _ **Thank goodness, you're still with us. Another vision?"**_

_**Byleth rubbed her head and just nodded. But like a dream, it was slowly getting away from her. Only one key thing came out of it.** _

" _ **Kaio-Ken."**_

_**This caught the attention of Sothis. Kaio-Ken? That word sounded so familiar. Like something she felt like she should know. "Where did you hear that word?"** _

" _ **In the vision…" Byleth muttered and tried to remember. "It's fuzzy but… Shamir and I used it. Perhaps it's something that we learn in the future?"**_

" _ **Hmmm… mystery after mystery." Sothis said, folding her arms and frowning. But then she shook her head. "We can worry about that later. You passed out in the middle of the battlefield. Luckily, that boy with the glasses and their teacher were able to keep you safe. Try not to do that again!"**_

" _ **It's not like I choose to do it…" Byleth tried to explain but was cut off.**_

" _ **No excuses! Now then, you should be waking up any moment now. You'll be happy to know that victory is at hand so there was nothing to worry about."**_

_**Byleth nodded and closed her eyes, ready to be back at the battlefield.** _

* * *

"…Waking up…."

"…kay?"

"Come on Teach, wake up!"

Byleth slowly opened her eyes and saw Claude, Hanneman, Ignatz and Marianne all looking over her with concerned looks on their faces. Claude was the first to speak up as he offered his hand. "You all good, Teach? Kinda gave us all a scare when you just collapsed like that."

She just took his hand and rubbed her head to try and quell the headache that was forming and gave a thumbs up. "Just something that happens, don't question it. More importantly, are we winning?"

"More than that, we are driving them away to retreat!" Hanneman said, pointing in the direction of the bandits running to the bridge. "A most impressive display!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're all proud. Of course, I also helped to make sure this oaf didn't get himself killed." Judith smiled, as she walked alongside Holst who had sheathed his axe.

"Ah, yes. A lovely day for victory!" Holst cheered while Hilda looked just happy for it to be done.

"Ugh, I have blood all over my clothes. And I'm sweating! This was not my definition of a good day…" Hilda whined, looking at her clothes.

Sothis appeared next to Byleth and let out a sigh of relief. ' _It seems we were worried for nothing. Even with your little fainting spell, it all worked out in the end._ '

"It wasn't even that much of a challenge…" Lysithea muttered to herself while Leonie had her hands behind her head.

"Yeah, I'm kinda bummed out. Maybe it's because we train against each other but I was expecting more…"

"Hey, look at little sis!" Raphael cheered hoisting up Lysithea who was bright red. "She managed to take on a whole squad by herself."

"Y-You big oaf! Put me down this instant!" She yelled trying to cool her heated face as everyone laughed at her display.

* * *

"How the fuck did they manage to beat us?!"

On the other side of the bridge, the leader of the Almyran bandits threw a rock against a tree and growled loudly. "That cocky son of a bitch won't let us live this one down for years! Where did he get those kids?! They tore my forces apart like nothing!"

That's when he turned to a figure leaning against a tree and pointed at her. "And you! You said you could help us! You sent our reinforcements over to take them from behind, and it FAILED!"

"Maybe calm down boss-" His Right Hand Man tried to say but was cut off.

"No! I'm sick and tired of losing to those Alliance bastards!"

That's when the two heard the woman start to laugh. "Well then… are you that desperate to kill them all? Well, I can help you with that."

She stepped out of the shadows and it was Kronya, who was still wearing her Almyran disguise and she gave a wink. "I was going to save it for a grand finale, but I suppose I can spoil the surprise right now."

She slowly reached into her satchel and pulled out a dark crystal, which was pulsating with power. The leader just stared at it with curiosity and looked at Kronya. "The hell is that?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just something that will give you the edge over those brats. You'll have the power of a hundred warriors in one."

"B-Boss, I don't know if I should trust that." The right hand man said. "I mean, it's dark and creepy-"

"Where's your damn pride?!" The leader yelled. "Time and time again, that Holst bastard has driven us away! This will finally give us a chance to kill him and those brats that humiliated us."

He then turned to Kronya and held out his hand to take the crystal. But something was on his mind. "Who are you? I've never seen an Almyran like you before. And where did you get this?"

Kronya just gave a sinister grin behind her disguise and let out a laugh. "Think of me as a woman who wants to do my country proud. Why wouldn't I want our land to expand? As for how I got this? The less you know, the better!"

As she slapped him on the back and allowed the crystal to absorb into him causing him to roar in pain and his power started to skyrocket with his right hand man looking in horror.

"Oh, did I forget to mention how it hurts? Oops, silly me!" Kronya cackled with glee as she watched him transform. "Now, let's see how this experiment goes…"

The Right Hand Man just watched in horror at his boss starting to change. "What the hell…"

* * *

"Well, thanks for helping us out, guys." Judith said, smiling at the Golden Deer and Byleth. "We can take care of the rest from here though. Maybe you should rest before heading back to-"

Suddenly, Claude, Lysithea and Leonie all had a sharp pain in their heads as they all looked panicked. Hilda shook Claude to try and get his attention.

"Claude? What's wrong? Come on, you guys are freaking me out here!"

"W-What the hell is that power?" Lysithea whispered as she was now shaking in her boots. This was bringing back really bad memories of Castle Gaspard. Of when Lonato…

"It's coming from over there!" Leonie yelled pointing towards the bridge that the bandits were running across, as Byleth drew her sword narrowing her eyes and stepping in front of everyone.

"Get behind me. Now."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Adrestian Empire, Shamir narrowed her eyes at the mage who called her that word. His two comrades were dead and he was just laughing.

"You think I'm gonna talk?" The mage yelled and charged a dark Ki attack. "Well, you've got another thing coming if you think I-"

CRACK!

He let out a high pitched squeal of pain as Shamir gave him a kick right to his arm, completely breaking it and making him fall to the ground as she placed a foot on the broken arm.

"Talk. Now."

The mage growled and spat in her direction. "Fuck off-"

"Wrong answer."

She applied pressure on the arm earning a scream that echoed throughout the scenery. But then her senses overloaded as a huge power level overtook her.

"What the hell is that?" Shamir said to herself looking in the direction where she sensed it. It had to be where Byleth was!

That's when she heard a laugh behind her and saw the mage aiming a dark Ki blast… at his face. "You're too late! The experiment will proceed! And you'll get nothing from me!"

"No wait-" Shamir tried to stop him but he released the blast and it completely vaporised his head, killing him. Shamir just growled in irritation. "Coward."

But now there was an even bigger issue. She couldn't get to that power level in time. Even though she knew how to fly it would take her at least six hours to get to the Alliance. She couldn't help.

"Byleth… you better pull through again…"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Blue Lions were on their way back from Conand Tower, with the mood extremely grim. Dimitri was just staring at the floor of the carriage he was in with the rest of his class, wondering if there was something he could have done to alter the battle. He looked over to Sylvain who was just staring at the Lance of Ruin that they had received from his brothers corpse. The horrifying sight was watching him transform into a monster after trying to use it.

Though if the Prince was honest, the time he fought Lonato was a lot more scarier, thanks to the sheer power-

That's when he groaned loudly clutching his head, with Felix, Annette and Ashe doing the same, which caught the attention of everyone.

"Annie? Are you okay?" Mercedes asked, trying to get Annette to snap out of it. "Oh my, you're shaking!"

"Ashe! Talk to me! What's wrong?" Ingrid yelled shaking Ashe to try and get his attention.

"Your Highness?" Dedue turned to Dimitri with concern in his eyes as he slowly raised his head.

"That power…"

"It's coming from the Alliance." Felix grunted, trying to not look too shaken up as Annette was scared.

"It's more powerful than Lord Lonato…"

"That's where the Golden Deer are!" Ashe exclaimed as he stood up to try and get out, but was stopped by Dimitri.

"There's no point Ashe. None of us can fly and even so it'll take too long for us to arrive. Besides, Professor Byleth is there, she will be able to take that for down…"

"At least I hope she can…" Dimitri muttered to himself so that nobody could hear. He had nothing but the upmost respect for Byleth. But he wasn't sure if even she could take this one on.

* * *

Back at Garreg Mach, Jeralt made a face once he detected that power source and stood up, having been meditating with the Black Eagles.

"You felt that too, right, Professor?" Edelgard said with a nervous expression on her face. "It's insane. How are they getting more powerful?"

That's when Caspar spoke up and pumped his fist. "Let's go over there right now! We can help-"

"No."

Caspar looked at Jeralt in shock who looked at him. "By the time we get there, it'll be too late. They're on their own. We just got to hope that Byleth and the brats can handle it."

"Usually I am having confidence in Professor Byleth…" Petra said, looking down at the ground. "But this power… I am fearing it is too much."

"Yeah… me too.

Edelgard just looked in the distance with her hand at her chest. ' _Professor… please be okay. I need you._ '

* * *

Back at the Alliance, there was a lone figure who was inside the forest just outside the battlefield, sitting on a tree branch and was visibly shaking.

"Oh no… why couldn't it have been easy? Just kick their butts and we can go home! But my head is killing me from the power I'm sensing…"

She readied her bow and slowly pulled back a Ki arrow and aimed at the distance. "I hope they don't see me…"

* * *

"Okay, so I can't sense Ki, but I can FEEL that! Is that a problem?!" Hilda yelled as they all saw a large hulking figure jump from the other side of the bridge and land in front of them. It was the leader that Holst was talking to before the battle started. But he was different now. He was larger, his muscles were bulging out and he had a permanent dark aura about him. He grinned evilly and stared down the group.

" **Oh, I'm glad I took this power! Holst, you've humiliated me for the last time! Today, is where you will be buried with the rest of your miserable group!"**

Holst just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sure, the Alliance fought back the Almyran's a lot, but he just thought it was sport. This however, was getting very dire. So he narrowed his eyes and began to draw his axe when suddenly Byleth stopped him.

"Wait. We need to be careful. He has a dark crystal inside him. But… he has control of his sanity, and that'll spell out trouble for us."

Judith was shaking from feeling overwhelmed by this power. She really wished she stayed in bed today. She wasn't prepared for something like this. That's when she took in a deep breath and looked at the leader. "So what's your name? I like to know the name of my opponent."

" **Did you know the name of my men that you slaughtered? But fine, I'll humour you."** The leader observed his hands and clenched them. **"A new name for a new me. Let's see, I hold in me the power of a hundred warriors. Call me… Legion."**

Claude turned to Byleth and tried to keep his cool. "We can win, right Teach?"

But Byleth wasn't listening. She never felt a power like this before. How in the world were they getting more powerful each time? The last time she did this, she barely won. Now this Legion was way stronger than Lonato, and he had his senses too. She wasn't sure if she could win. Or rather, she wasn't sure if she could avoid casualties.

But then she steeled herself and held out her sword and stared down Legion. That's when time froze around her and the world turned black. Sothis walked up alongside her.

' _It appears we were right after all. But I know what you are thinking Byleth. If time itself can't allow you to save lives, then it's not meant to be.'_

_But Byleth just shook her head and looked at her sword. "Nobody is dying on my watch."_

'… _Then good luck. You have eight Divine Pulses remaining._ '

That's when the world returned to normal and she walked forward. "Class, we need to be careful. You understand? Follow my every command and you'll live, I promise."

"There's the Teach I know!" Claude grinned charging up a Ki arrow.

"We will crush Legion down." Lysithea said and conjured up a clone.

"Professor Byleth and Captain Jeralt's training will pull me through!" Leonie yelled.

"Yeah, I can tell I'm out of my league here, so I'll let you take care of the orders." Judith said, standing beside Byleth as Holst gritted his teeth.

"Legion… you gave up your soul just for power… I will make sure you harm nobody!"

Legion just grinned in return and roared into the sky expelling more and more power before charging at them.

* * *

"I will let all of Almyra know of what you did!" The Right Hand Man yelled while trying to crawl away. "You won't get away with this! I swear- UUUURRRRRRGH?!"

A blade pierced through his chest and left him dying on the ground as Kronya pulled out her knife and started cleaning it, tutting to herself. "This isn't meant for you, now you got it all dirty with the wrong blood. No matter, it's all going according to plan."

She then reached into her pouch and pulled out her Scouter and placed it on her ear and looked at the Legion and measured his power level, before grinning in delight at the results.

"A success! Cornelia will be most pleased at the results of this. It seems we have mastered the way the Dark Crystals function."

But then Kronya smirked as she looked at her knife and twirled the blade on her fingertip. "But the finale is yet to come. By the time the sun sets, General Holst will be dead."

She sat on a rock as the Right Hand Man succumbed to his wounds and she sighed happily. "But for now, let's enjoy the show."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's part 2 all done and dusted. Sorry that this took a while, but between me getting injured at work and Age of Calamity coming out I was preoccupied.
> 
> Speaking of, you might have noticed I took inspiration for some moves with that game. Such as Lysithea making clones of herself. The Task Force are slowly developing their own techniques.
> 
> Also, Byleth got another vision. This one was the Crimson Flower route and you may be confused as to why she knows Kaio-Ken. Well, remember, Sothis knows it and she fuses with Byleth in the future so she passed down her knowledge of it.
> 
> You may have noticed that I mentioned Future Byleth is weaker. And that's something that we will touch on at a later date. But you could probably guess as to why she is weaker.
> 
> And also, Shamir having Android 18 vibes is something I love. Yeah, she basically did to that mage what 18 did to Vegeta. Love Shamir.
> 
> And lastly, I'm making Kronya more of a recurring villian in the White Clouds saga, because she was criminally underused in canon. Cornelia will make an appearance too.
> 
> But yeah, join us next time for the finale of this arc where we will be fighting Legion.
> 
> Catch you later!


	20. Chapter 20

Part 1: White Clouds

Legion

**“Hahahahaha!!! Now, who will be the first to challenge me? I can’t wait to crush you all. In fact, why don’t you all come at me? That’ll make things more fun! Either way, you will die so it does not matter to me!”**

“Stay focused.” Byleth said to everyone behind her, narrowing her eyes as she kept her sword trained on Legion who just stood there with his arms folded, waiting for them to make the first move. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was nervous. Nervous for the lives of her students as well as Hanneman, Judith and Holst.

But strangely enough, there was something else she was feeling. Her blood was pumping and a small smile found its way onto her face. She remembers this feeling. She had this when she was fighting off with Lonato. A proper challenge to test her might, to see how far she can push herself.

Byleth was feeling excited.

But she couldn’t let that get to her head. After all, there were lives at stake here, and she couldn’t always rely on her little cheat card to turn back time. She had to figure out a plan, and fast.

**“You have five seconds before I come over there and kill you all myself! What are you, scared?”**

…Oh it was on now. Her battle instincts took over as her aura exploded around her and she took off towards him. “Lysithea! Lorenz! On me!”

“Of course!” Lysithea nodded and charged after Byleth with Lorenz following closely behind and charged up a fire spell in his hands while riding his horse. Legion just laughed and watched the trio come forward. He stood there and waited for them to do their attack, and this action really ticked off Byleth.

How dare this thing mock them! She would show him how well they do when she beats him to the ground-

She almost stopped in shock as to what she was thinking. When did she ever think like this? These emotions inside her kept on bubbling up as of late. If she was honest, she didn’t know how to feel about it. There were times where she wishes she could go back to feeling nothing at all.

‘ _Focus! He’s coming!_ ’ Sothis screeched in her head.

Byleth’s eyes widened as she narrowly dodged a fist slamming into the ground. Legion was a lot faster than she thought, despite his larger size and she told Lysithea and Lorenz to fall back.

But before Lysithea could, she screamed as she was grabbed by the head and picked up by Legion who left her dangling in the air.

“Let her go!!!” Leonie screamed getting ready to charge in but Legion just laughed at both her and the girl in his hands who was struggling and kicking and screaming to break free.

**“You want me to let her go? Very well then. I’ll let her go.”** He grinned as he looked towards Lysithea and a sickening crunch filled the air which stopped everyone in their tracks. As blood started leaking down the girls head as Legion threw her towards everyone and she flopped onto the ground, with her head caved in. She was dead.

“YOU BASTARD!!!” Leonie screamed and ran to Legion and he was ready to meet her head on.

But suddenly, the whole world froze around them as Byleth stood there and looked at Lysithea and her unfortunate demise. “Lysithea… I’m sorry. I will make sure that I will do this right.”

Sothis appeared next to her and looked on ahead with her arms behind her back. ‘ _You really think you can save all of them?_ ’

“I have to.”

‘ _…Very well. Let’s pray that you are powerful enough._ ’ The spirit sighed and summoned her time glyphs once more to turn back time. ‘ _You and I both know it’s going to take a miracle to bring Legion down with no causalities. We can win, of course but-_ ‘

“I’m not looking for statistics Sothis. I just want you to turn back time.”

‘ _I am only trying to help. You have seven Divine Pulses remaining._ ’

Byleth just nodded and found herself standing in the same spot as she was when Lysithea was killed. Although this time, she was ready and threw out her hand and shot out a Ki blast before Legion could crush her students head. It clocked him in the face which allowed Lysithea to channel her Ki and break free from his grip and she held her head panting.

She almost died there. She had to be careful as she went to summon a clone but was stopped by the others who had come to show up and fight. Everyone knew that they had to work together. They all looked towards Byleth on what to do while Legion recovered from her attack.

Byleth gripped the Sword of the Creator and nodded. “Follow your instincts everyone. Protect yourselves as well as each other. You understand?”

Everyone nodded back and readied themselves as Legion loomed over them all. **“Well now, you’re not the ants I thought you were. This could actually be fun. I think it’s high time I showed off more of my power, don’t you think?”**

The group all paled at that statement and didn’t know what to say. He was holding back?! Byleth knew he didn’t have to use all his strength when he killed Lysithea. Now he had more?!

“Looks like this is going to be tougher than we thought.” Claude grimaced while holding a Ki arrow aimed at his face.

“Yeah… I can’t wait.” Byleth replied and felt her blood pumping once more. She was going to enjoy this as Legion roared into the sky and started to power up more, the force of his Ki throwing everyone back. Only Byleth remained in place, though she had to use a lot of power to not be blown away.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

“It seems that this latest version of the crystals are a success, Lord Thales.” Cornelia smiled in glee as she held aloft an orb which displayed the fight between Legion and the Golden Deer. “All the kinks have been worked out and we can start moving on to a brand new batch. Ones that can allow us to get stronger of our own accord by recharging the crystals.”

“Good. You have done remarkable work, Cornelia.” Thales nodded while sitting on his throne overlooking the battle. Though, his attention was drawn to Byleth who kept on displaying impressive feats of strength. Always seeming to be one step ahead of Legion.

Hubert had noticed this, and turned his attention to the woman too. “You two seem to know something I don’t… Lord Thales.”

“I know many things you do not know, lap dog.” Thales replied leaning back on his throne and placing his hands together. “Do you ever wonder how this Byleth woman always appears to be one step ahead at all times?”

This puzzled Hubert. Thales never gave him the time of day most of the time aside from calling him by his nickname. But Hubert decided to humour him and replied. “I assumed that based on her Mercenary background and the fact she is the daughter of the Blade Breaker, that would mean she is a force to be reckoned with.”

“Tell me. Do you know anything at all about her?”

“…No. There is no records on her anywhere. No birth records, no family tree, nothing at all. It’s like she just appeared out of thin air one day.”

“Her father is certainly impressive.” Cornelia continued on for Thales. “However, her mother was a different story.”

Hubert raised an eyebrow. “Mother? Ah yes, Sitri Eisner. One of the few records I could find of her. A nun who resided in Garreg Mach but was unfortunately taken from us due to childbirth complications.”

“And this is why you never rely on silly books and records.” Cornelia replied, still watching the fight. “Because all of that was created to fabricate a lie. The Archbishop did not want people knowing who she truly was.”

Now this caught Hubert’s attention. He slowly turned around to the pair and narrowed his eyes. “I know who she is. A creation of the Immaculate-“

“Wrong.”

“…What?”

But Thales just raised a hand to silence them both. “You like to ask your questions, lap dog. In time, you will get your answers, providing you stay in line. Now watch the fight.”

They all turned their attention back to the orb, but Hubert was just left conflicted. All the reports he gathered were completely false? Just who was this Byleth woman? Who was this Sitri? He hated not knowing what was going on. But he had to endure to get his answers not only for himself, but for Edelgard too.

* * *

Byleth slashed at Legion’s shins and jumped back when he tried to slam his fists directly onto her but narrowly avoided it. She smirked a little and told everyone behind her to close their eyes before performing a Solar Flash and blinding Legion who clutched his eyes in pain. This was their chance to launch a counterattack as Raphael charged forward and tackled him to the ground before repeatedly punching him in the face while Hilda grabbed her axe and went to damage his legs. Suddenly, Legion got his senses back and caught Raphael’s fist and prevented him from landing another hit.

**“Like an annoying little bug…”** Legion grunted before ripping Raphael’s arm clean off. Hilda gasped loudly and covered her mouth in shock, dropping her axe in the process before Raphael screamed loudly in pin clutching his stump trying to stop the bleeding. But before Legion could finish the job, time froze and started to rewind once again. Sothis appeared next to Byleth and shook her head, with sweat start to form on her brow.

‘ _Six remaining. You better make them count._ ’

“I know what I’m doing.”

‘ _Where did this stubbornness come from…_ ’

Byleth rolled her eyes and waited for time to resume before activating the whip on her sword and struck Legion in the chest before he could attack Raphael, the force of the attack being enough to throw Legion away and let go of the brawler, who just picked himself up and gave a big grin.

“Thanks for that Miss Byleth! Gee, I sure would’ve been a goner if it wasn’t for you!”

She just dropped her head in return and groaned to herself. ‘ _These kids are killing me… come on, it’s not over yet._ ’

“We need a plan, Teach.” Claude said as he ran up to join her side with Hilda and Raphael coming back.

“I swear… if we get out of this alive, we are going to a spa!” Hilda yelled as she clutched her axe tightly while anxiously looking around for Legion who was thankfully still on the ground.

“Right… a plan. We need a plan…”

“What about that giant beam attack you did to Lonato?!” Claude asked while keeping a Ki arrow trained on Legion. “You know, the one where you got really angry?”

“I don’t remember how to do that!”

“Well, how about you use that sword of yours to slice him in half?!” Leonie yelled.

“You think I wouldn’t have done that already?!”

“Why don’t you punch him really, really hard?!” Raphael yelled but got a hit in the stomach from Lysithea.

“If you aren’t going to be helpful, don’t talk!”

Byleth gritted her teeth and clutched her head, trying to think. She was running out of time, she had to be smart. Maybe she could use the sword, but she needed to get a clear shot.

She then looked towards everyone and nodded. “We need to hold him down so I can get a clear shot to wound him with the Relic. Lysithea, Leonie. I’m tasking you both with holding him down. The rest distract him as best as you can. Then I can come in with a shot.”

“Excellent! Split him apart! A worthy way of killing!” Holst roared raising his axe high and charged towards Legion, who was getting up. Claude was panicking as he tried to shoot an arrow at him but he slapped it away, the aura around him getting darker as he growled.

**“Right… this is getting annoying now. You lot have had your fun, now it’s time I pick you apart piece by piece…”**

Byleth steeled herself and nodded to Lysithea who charged forward while snapping her fingers. Legion grunted in surprise as symbols appeared on his limbs as he tried to get them off.

**“What the-? What the hell is this stuff?! Get it off me!!”**

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll get it off you in a minute.” Lysithea replied and slammed her fists into his limbs and produced two clones who clenched tightly to his legs preventing him from running away. He was about to grab Lysithea but found himself being shot at by Ki arrows courtesy of Claude and Leonie to which he laughed loudly. But then he noticed something about Claude.

**“You look… familiar- URGH!!!”**

He got shot in the face quickly shutting him up as Claude glared. “Sorry, you’ve got me confused with someone else. Can’t say that we have met before. You have one more chance to surrender, and leave.”

Everyone looked to Claude in shock as Lorenz almost dropped his tome. “Are you insane?! He is a beast!”

“He still has a choice.” Claude said and kept staring at Legion. “If he says no, we kill him.”

But then they all saw him slowly start to laugh as Claude’s eyes widened when he saw Ki charging in his palms.

**“You think I will stop now?! Well, here’s my answer! SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR FRIENDS!”**

“NO!” Claude screamed as Legion fired a Ki blast which headed straight for Marianne, who just stood there frozen in fear as it went closer and closer. She couldn’t run, she couldn’t hide.

…Perhaps this was meant to be. She would free others of her burden. This was her time to-

Marianne couldn’t finish that thought as she felt herself being thrown to the ground out of harms way as she locked eyes with Hilda, who had pushed her away just in time for her to not be killed. Unfortunately, that meant that Hilda was in the crossfire and the last thing Marianne saw was Hilda smiling as she was blown to atoms by the attack.

“HILDA, NO!” Holst roared as he grabbed his axe and charged towards Legiom, who was starting to break free from Lysithea’s grip.

Marianne just sat there, frozen in fear as she just broke down crying at what her friend did to save her as she clutched her head. “It’s all my fault…”

But time froze again and started to rewind once more with Byleth knowing what to do next. Sothis just looked at her, panting heavily and nodded.

‘ _Five._ ’

“I understand.”

**“You think I will stop now- URRGH?!”** Legion was beginning to charge his Ki attack once more like before, but this time Byleth used the whip function on her sword to impale his hand and prevent him from attacking. He was so caught off guard that he didn’t notice Raphael grabbing his injured hand and holding it in place with Leonie doing the same to his other arm. He was now fully trapped and unable to escape. The fact that two of the people holding him were trained in Ki made it next to impossible.

For good measure, Hilda slammed her axe into his right foot to make sure he couldn’t run off even if he broke free.

Byleth felt the Sword of the Creator’s power course through her as it started glowing red with power and she flew towards Legion at a rapid pace and pointed the sword straight at his chest for a fatal blow. Good. This would surely end the fight in one fell swoop. It was all in place. She just had to make the shot.

And then a loud roar came out of Legion as she impaled him through his chest with black blood pouring everywhere and Byleth panted, still keeping the sword embedded deep inside him. “…Is everybody okay?”

“Did we win?” Lorenz asked quietly, still keeping a fire spell charged. It felt too easy.

Byleth was about to reply when suddenly a dark chuckle came out of Legion which froze everyone in place. **“If that is the best that you can do, then there’s no point in playing around…”**

“You’re kidding… after all that?!” Hilda yelled but screamed when she was flung away by Legion kicking her in the chest.

“HILDA!” Claude yelled and jumped up to catch her before she got even more hurt. When they landed, he quickly checked to make sure nothing was broken. “You okay? Tell me if anything hurts!”

“Everything…” Hilda groaned, but slowly sat up and coughed. “But I think I’m okay.”

That’s when they both saw Legion throwing off everyone that’s as holding him down and grabbed Byleth by the face with her sword still in his chest. He charged a Ki blast and had full intention of shooting it point blank at her.

Claude gritted his teeth and formed multiple Ki arrows but suddenly, a beam of Ki shot past him and struck Legion right in his eye. He yelled in pain, dropping Byleth and clutching his face in agony. Claude slowly looked behind him to see it came from where the trees were and looked over at Byleth, who was wiping blood off her mouth and smiled.

“She really thought of everything, huh? A secret sniper… but who is it?”

Meanwhile, Byleth looked ahead at Legion and saw that her sword was still in his chest. “Well… I prefer using my fists anyway.”

As she took off her coat and tossed it away before sliding into her stance, staring down Legion who started charging at full speed towards her.

* * *

“Come on guys! You’ve been like this for the past ten minutes, give us an update!” Ingrid yelled at her fellow classmates who had their eyes shut and sensing the battle that was going on.

Dimitri opened his eyes and glared at the floor. “Too many close calls… it’s thanks to Professor Byleth that everyone is alive.”

“Though I detected a large influx of Ki in the area.” Felix chimed in. “It’s not a Ki I recognise properly. Seems like she brought in extra help.”

“I don’t know if they can win.” Annette whispered to herself. “Oh, I hate feeling useless! I wish I could help!”

“It’s okay, Annie.” Mercedes smiled taking her friends hand into her own. “I’m sure that they will win. After all, goodness always prevails in the end, does it not?”

Nobody chose to answer that as the four Ki students closed their eyes and looked out for the Ki signatures once more.

* * *

Both Byleth and Legion met in the middle and locked their hands together in a grappling match to try and overpower the other. That’s when Legion leaned in close.

**“You’re pretty strong, aren’t you? You’re not like the others. I’ll enjoy killing you!”**

He started charging up a Ki blast from his mouth which Byleth countered by swinging her whole body up into the air, still holding onto his hands and brought them behind his back and slammed her feet onto his body sending him crashing into the ground. Lysithea saw an opening and tried to send a Ki blast over to him but Legion’s vast aura just shrugged it off completely as he powered up more and more.

“I can’t even hit him now…” Lysithea whispered in disbelief.

That’s when Claude looked at his hand and nodded. “I have an idea for an attack. It’s a pretty big one, and I’ve not used it properly before. I’ll need some time to charge it up. If you guys can keep him away from me, I can get to work.”

“…How long do you need?” Leonie asked while watching Claude clench his fist and using his other hand to hold his wrist in place.

“I don’t know. Two minutes? Five? Like I said, I haven’t properly used it, but I’m all out of ideas.”

Hilda blew out a breath while Marianne healed her injuries to keep her fighting. “Claude… you’re paying for my new uniform when we’re done here.”

She then stood up and used her axe to keep herself propped up with Judith and Holst running over to them. Hanneman chose to stay next to Claude and keep him covered, while the rest would help Byleth with Legion.

“Guys… I’ll need that time, you know that, right?” Claude asked as he started charging Ki into his closed fist.

“Just keep charging, and we will keep him at bay!” Lysithea yelled.

Meanwhile, Byleth was trading blows with Legion who was keeping her on the back foot. This was bad, she was getting weaker, and more exhausted as time went on. While his power was steadily increasing. Where was this power coming from?!

**“What’s wrong, monkey girl?! Running out of steam?! Too bad for you, I’m just getting started!”**

“Hey! Big guy! Over here!”

Legion turned around for a split second only to be met with a punch to the face by Raphael and an arrow to the chest by Ignatz. That’s when Leonie came charging ahead and jumped to where the Sword of the Creator lay in his chest and grabbed the hilt and started to pull on it, before screaming in pain as the sword seemed to be rejecting her in a way.

“LEONIE!” Lorenz yelled, using magic to keep Legion down. “You don’t have a Crest! You could die if you use it!”

Leonie just gritted her teeth at the red hot pain flaring through her and narrowed her eyes. “Professor- no… Byleth needs this! We need to take it out! Keep his arms away!”

“ **Pathetic… this is just sad.”** Legion said and swatted Raphael away before grabbing Leonie and chuckled. **“You’re way out of your depth here. Let me show you how.”**

Leonie tried to break away but a sickening crunch filled the air as her neck was broken by Legion who just dropped her to the ground leaving her lifeless.

“Not good enough…” Byleth muttered as she called on another Divine Pulse. At this point, Sothis didn’t need to tell her what her limits were. She only had four left. She heard about Claude charging up a special attack, and Leonie was trying to get her sword back. She had to make sure that those didn’t go to waste. But everyone was losing steam fast. Even if they got the sword back, everyone could barely stand. This was taking everything they had. Was it enough? No time for thinking like that.

When time resumed to just before Legion was going to grab Leonie, Byleth jumped forward and grabbed his hand before turning to Hilda. “Do it! Now!”

Hilda nodded and slammed the axe straight into his arm, which gave Leonie enough time to rip the sword out of his chest with her screaming in pain as the sword clattered to the ground. Before Leonie could fall, Lorenz caught her and surveyed the damage.

It was really bad. Her hands were completely damaged with red marks covering them. Almost looked like her nerves were damaged due to that stunt. That was one of the many consequences of trying to use a Relic without a Crest. Worse of all, she was completely unconscious.

“Everyone, I’m taking Leonie out! She’s in no condition to fight!” Lorenz yelled with Judith helping him get her on the horse. She then turned to Marianne and clicked her tongue in frustration.

“A battle healer isn’t going to cut it. She needs an actual doctor. But until Legion has been defeated, we can’t get her out of here.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Lorenz said, getting on his horse. “Let’s be honest, I’m not doing much to help anyway. Just try and defeat that brute!”

Byleth rolled out of the way of a fist slamming into the ground and picked up her sword, watching the power flare to life before slamming Legion to the ground. “Leonie… thank you for this. I’ll make sure it won’t go to waste.”

She then looked behind her to see Claude with his eyes closed charging up the attack. Sweat was dripping down his face as he had to concentrate so not to disrupt it forming. His fist was glowing yellow and overflowing with power. Byleth looked to Legion and then to her sword.

“Lysithea. Do you have any power left?”

“A little… but I’m afraid I’ve run my magic reserves and my Ki dry.” Lysithea replied looking at her shaking hands. “And it’s getting really hard to stand…”

“But you can still fight?”

“To my dying breath.”

“Good.” Byleth then turned to the rest of the warriors there and frowned. “If anybody wants to leave, do so now. Because we need to make sure that Claude can get that attack all charged. Can I count on you?”

“You have my blade.” Judith nodded.

“And my axe!” Holst grinned hoisting his weapon on his shoulder.

“Yeah, let’s beat him into the ground!” Raphael grinned, punching his fists together.

“We’ve come so far… a little more wouldn’t hurt.” Ignatz mumbled to himself.

“If we make it out of this…” Hilda started to say but was interrupted by Byleth.

“I will personally buy all of you new clothes and a day at the spa if we win. We all need it.”

That’s when the fire in the girls eyes returned and she gripped her axe tightly. “Mama needs that spa day!”

“For Leonie… we will win!” Marianne whispered to herself and now sported a determined look and Byleth nodded to her, smiling.

She then looked over at Claude and closed her eyes. ‘ _Claude? Can you hear me?_ ’

In her head she heard a strained voice talk back. ‘ _Heh… kind of rude to drop into my head unannounced, wouldn’t you… ngh… say?_ ’

‘ _Claude, we’re going to keep Legion distracted long enough to let you charge up your attack. How long do you have?_ ’

Silence followed for a couple of seconds before Claudes voice sounded again. ‘ _Three minutes. Give me three minutes and it should be ready. Though I don’t know what will happen to me. I only just started developing this technique._ ’

‘ _You’ll get your three minutes. I promise._ ’

‘ _Heh… because I have Professor Hanneman and our mystery friend backing me up? Speaking of, mind telling me who that is?_ ’

‘ _No._ ’ Byleth rolled her eyes and turned to Legion who picked himself up. ‘ _Stay focused._ ’

‘ _Got it… thank you._ ’

The connection was now cut off as Byleth stared ahead and sighed. “Everyone… CHARGE!!!”

**“Like lambs to the slaughter. This is starting to piss me off!”** Legion yelled, grabbing Byleth by the throat and attempting to crush her but found his hand clenching nothing. An after image.

And then he found his face in the dirt once more when Byleth came flying down and slammed her feet in the back of his head. Hilda went for a powerful swing of her axe but missed due to Legion dodging at the last second and punching her square in the face which sent her flying back and slamming her head against a rock.

“HILDA!” Holst yelled, running towards his sister. He saw that she was bleeding from her head and checked to see if she had a concussion. No, she looked fine but then he saw her standing up and shakily grabbing her axe.

“Not yet… I can still fight…”

“Hilda please, you’re hurt-“ Holst tried to explain but Hilda cut him off.

“If Claude can’t charge his attack, then all of this was for nothing! We lost Leonie and Lorenz, we can’t afford anyone else!”

Holst widened his eyes at her resolve. This was very unlike Hilda. But she had a point. He looked over to Claude who was gritting his teeth and his fist was now coated in Ki as he kept charging more and more, with Hanneman keeping his magic charged to try and keep any attacks away from him.

Hilda got to her feet and gripped her axe tightly. “We need to do this. We have to.”

“…Lead the way, sister.” Holst said, grinning widely and Hilda smiled back as they ran back into the fight.

On Byleth’s side, things weren’t going well. She had to use two more Divine Pulses back to back just to save Ignatz and Marianne. Ignatz was completely obliterated from a Ki blast and Marianne was impaled by a Ki blade formed by Legion. She barely got them out of there in time but that only meant she had two left before Sothis had to rest.

‘ _Claude! How much longer?! We’re running on fumes here!_ ’

‘ _A little more… it’s almost ready…_ ’ She heard Claude weakly replied. ‘ _I can feel it…_ ’

That’s when his eyes widened and he looked at his fist which was now completely stabilised and overflowing with power. “It’s done! It’s finally done!”

He then narrowed his eyes at Legion in the distance and drew his hand back. Unfortunately, Legion detected that influx of Ki and looked ahead at Claude and fired a beam of Ki directly at his heart which struck home and he fell to the ground, dead and the Ki in his hand dispersed.

“NO!!!” Hanneman screamed.

“CLAUDE!!!” Hilda screamed, starting to run towards him but time froze once more as Sothis appeared next to Byleth, looking exhausted and panting.

‘ _You have one left… though from the looks of it, you’ve got this in the bag. You just need to hold him in place. Good luck._ ’

Sothis was right. She just needed to hold Legion in place. And luckily, she had just the tool for that. Time resumed to just before Legion was about to end Claude’s life. But this time, she was prepared as she used the whip function of the sword to wrap it round his neck, acting as a leash and she used all her strength to pull back and cause him

to focus on trying to get it off from his neck. But then Legion growled at Claude and fired another Ki beam from his mouth but this time it got intercepted by the sniper that was in the trees. Though it didn’t disrupt the blast completely, it bought time for Claude to dodge out of the way to avoid harm.

This was it! She looked towards Claude and screamed.

“CLAUDE! DO IIIIIIT!!!”

“EVERYBODY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Claude yelled which everyone heard perfectly clear and he thrusted his hand out before saying his new Ki attack.

“BUCK CANNON!!!”

A large yellow beam erupted from his hand and made a beeline towards Legion, who couldn’t escape due to Byleth using the sword to hold him in place. The attack was so powerful, it ripped up the ground as it travelled and burnt the grass that was in a certain radius.

**“No! NOOOOOO!!! I can’t lose like this!!!”** Legion screamed before the Buck Cannon struck him in the chest and went straight through him, as he went sailing through the air now that Byleth got the whip off of his neck and he went crashing to the ground, not moving. Everyone didn’t move. For fear of jinxing it.

Claude chuckled to himself and blew out a shaky breath. “Jeez, it was a lot more powerful than I thought…”

That’s when he looked to see severe burn marks on the hand he fired the blast from and grimaced. “Oh, that doesn’t look good. Oops, and here comes the other part…”

He groaned and collapsed to the ground, his energy completely spent. Everyone waited with baited breath at Legion to see if he would recover. But Byleth noticed the shards of crystal nearby and then saw the dark aura dissipate. It was done. They won.

“We did it…” Byleth panted as she sank to her knees. “We won…”

“We… won?” Lysithea panted, having needed to be held up by Ignatz who started laughing in joy.

“We won!!!”

“Oh, thank the Goddess…” Judith whispered, slumping to the ground as exhaustion took over.

“Victory for us!!!” Holst roared holding his axe up high as Byleth slowly walked towards Claude who was knocked out. Everything hurt, but at least they were all okay.

“Thanks Claude… you helped us make sure there were no casualties.”

She then looked to the forest and smiled. “Thank you as well…”

* * *

“So, Legion was defeated? Booooring!” Kronya sighed with her hands on her chin looking glum. But then she shrugged and jumped down from the rock she was sitting on.

“Oh well, we got what we wanted so I probably would have killed him anyway. But there’s one thing missing from this show… what is it…”

She clicked her fingers and grinned. “Of course! The grand finale! Oh this’ll be glorious…”

* * *

“Holsty… I think I’m ready to stop fighting for a while…” Hilda whined as she looked at her dirty and torn clothes as well as the various marks on her body thanks to the battle. But Holst just laughed in response and slapped her on the back.

“Nonsense, little sister! You have the potential to be so much more! Here, let me go get your axe.”

Hilda just rolled her eyes as Holst walked over to where her axe was and picked it up, before holding it out to her. “You just wait, you will be a fine warrior to our land and nobody will-“

SSSSSHRRRRRRRNK!!!

“URRGH!!!”

Time stopped as Hilda looked at Holst with horror on her face, as he slowly looked down to see a sword sticking out of his chest. “Oh…”

The blade slowly pulled out of him and he collapsed to the ground as Hilda saw who did it. An Almyran woman. With a manic grin…

“HOLST!!!”

That caught everyone’s attention as Byleth looked up from Claude and gasped in shock. She didn’t know there were more here! Without thinking, she activated a Divine Pulse to just before Holst was stabbed and narrowed her eyes swinging her sword towards the girl...

…But all of a sudden, a dark ball of magic collided with the blade and stopped her attack completely. Byleth couldn’t believe it. She just watched as Holst was stabbed by the girl again, but that’s when she noticed something.

The girl had a Scouter! Just like those at the Mausoleum! But she had to get over there and stop her, maybe try to save Holst. But her legs buckled underneath her and she collapsed to the ground. Her energy was spent. She could barely walk now. Or fight.

She was out of options. She could do nothing.

Hilda just gritted her teeth as the girl tutted to herself and cleaned her blade. “I don’t think big brother is going to make it. Then again, maybe you should take this as a lesson. Never have your back turned.”

She then looked towards Hilda and giggled maniacally. “Because you never know who will be there to STAB you!”

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” Hilda screamed, and with newfound energy, took off and charged towards the girl.

“Hilda, no!” Byleth yelled, trying to reach out to her, but she couldn’t. She was too tired.

The woman just tilted her head and smirked seeing Hilda about to throw a punch but just caught her hand and yawned loudly.

“You have no idea just how out of your league you are, little girl!” The woman said and slowly started to apply pressure on Hilda’s hand as Hilda tried to get out of the grip, before screaming as her hand was being crushed.

“You know, I was ordered to just kill your brother. But two Gonerils? Now that sounds like a bonus!”

That’s when a Ki beam shot her in the chest and threw her off her feet, earning a yelp of surprise from the woman. Though the attack was nowhere near fatal as the woman sat up and growled loudly. “Alright! I’ve been seeing you throughout the battle, where are you?!”

She stood up and pressed a button on her Scouter and looked around for Ki signatures. A grin of malice appeared on her face as she saw one hiding in the trees. “There you are…”

The Almyran started charging a Ki blast and aimed it at the trees. “It was fun when you kept Legion at bay, but doing it to me is super annoying. Begone!”

“NO!” Byleth yelled as she could only watch as the blast collided with the trees and she heard a scream of pain. Thankfully, she could still sense the Ki and hoped they took that moment to retreat. They did more than enough to help.

The woman now looked at Hilda and placed a foot on her chest and started applying pressure causing her to scream out in pain. “Now to finish you off-“

A beeping sounded on her Scouter as she heard a voice. “You’ve done your orders. Now retreat.”

Furrowing her brows, the woman slowly lifted her foot off of Hilda and turned away. “Well, looks like you should count yourself lucky. You get to live another day… well, can’t say the same for your dear big brother.”

She then blew a kiss and giggled. “Byyye!” Before teleporting away. Hilda slowly got up and held her head in pain. She felt dizzy, and on top of that she could barely move-

“Hil… da…”

Her eyes widened as she quickly turned to see Holst on the ground. With newfound energy, she picked herself up and ran towards him and knelt beside him, holding his hand. But he just smiled.

“It’s okay, Hilda… it’s okay.” Holst whispered before coughing and tried to catch his breath. “When it comes to the battlefield… you never know when it’s your last.”

“No… no! I can save you!” Hilda yelled and looked around. “Marianne! Where are you?! I need you!”

“Girl, stop it.” Judith said, slowly placing a hand on her shoulder. “She’s not got any healing left in her. And even if she did… this is too great of a wound to patch up. There’s nothing that we can do.”

“Ah, Lady Judith.” Holst smiled and coughed again. “How fortunate that your lovely face is one of the last ones that I’ll see.”

Judith just smiled back and rubbed at her eye to stop any tears from leaking out. “Well, I’m glad I got to fight your last battle with you.”

“No!” Hilda yelled, trying to apply pressure on the wound which caused him to groan in pain. “You’re not dying! Our family needs you! The Alliance needs you! I need you!”

Judith then held her close as Hilda started crying into her chest. “Please don’t leave me…”

Byleth was watching in the distance and that sentence triggered something in her. She felt the world going dark again as another vision took place.

* * *

**_“It looks like… I’m going to have to leave you now.”_ **

****

**_The scenery was just outside of Garreg Mach. Byleth wasn’t sure what was happening, but her own father was on the ground. And her Future self was kneeling over him. A detail worth noting was that Future Byleth didn’t have her green hair in this vision. It was just her regular blue._ **

****

**_But she looked sad. Her dad was dying._ **

****

**_Jeralt felt droplets of liquid hit his face and looked to see it was his own daughter, shedding tears. For the first time in her life, she was crying._ **

****

**_He simply smiled to himself. “To think, the first time I saw you cry… your tears would be for me. It’s sad. And yet, I’m happy for it.”_ **

****

**_Future Byleth just kept on letting her tears fall as Jeralt let out a sigh of content, happy that his daughter was the last thing he would see. “Thank you… Byleth.”_ **

****

**_And like that, he stopped moving and his breathing ceased. He was gone. Future Byleth’s eyes widened as more and more tears fell as rain started to pour on the two. She tried shaking him to try and get him to respond._ **

****

**_“Dad… wake up… dad please. Please!”_ **

****

**_She covered her eyes , trying to rub the tears away, but she couldn’t. “Dad! DAD! DAAAAAAD!”_ **

****

**_And then she roared into the sky, letting out all her pain and anguish. The only two emotions she knows at this point. Sadness at her fathers death. And anger at the one who did this. Her fists were clenched so hard that her nails were drawing blood out of her palms._ **

****

**_Until suddenly, something snapped in Future Byleth. Her hair turned golden, and her eyes changed from her usual calm sapphire blue, to a cold teal. The power she gave off was incredible as she kept screaming into the sky, before slowly stopping and crying over Jeralt’s corpse, still in her strange golden form._ **

****

* * *

Byleth returned back to reality after that vision and looked at Hilda crying into Judith’s chest. She then noticed her face was wet and touched her cheek. There were tears leaking down her face. She was crying. But why?

The vision was already starting to fade away from her mind, leaving only one key detail. That golden form.

Something happened to her in that vision, and to Jeralt. Something to trigger that form. But what was it? How come her future self never used it after? Was this something she would attain in the near future?

All her questions were halted as she heard Holst start to speak again.

“Hilda… it’s okay. I know you will lead our house well.”

“I’ll… I’ll make sure they pay!” Hilda growled, holding her brothers hand. “Those Almyrans are nothing but savage animals! I’ll kill them-“

“Don’t.”

That caught Hilda off guard. Did Holst just tell her not to? As if sensing her confusion, he looked into the sky. “Don’t judge a whole nation based on the actions of a few. Sure, we had our fights but I always thought we shared a common sense of respect. But something changed today… you noticed it, right Judith?”

“Yeah… I did…” Judith responded and looked down. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Fuck, this is turning into one big mess…”

Everyone had crowded around the dying General at this point as Holst called out for Byleth. “Can you please grant this dying man a favour?”

“Anything. What do you need?” Byleth asked, kneeling down beside him.

“I want you to train Hilda how to use those powers of yours.” Holst coughed out which surprised everyone around him. The most being Hilda who just stared. “You’ve seen it for yourself, Miss Byleth. She has incredible potential. But she was always afraid of being compared to me. Well, now she doesn’t have to be. She can be stronger than I could ever be.”

He then looked at Hilda too. “Can you promise me that? Will you push yourself to your fullest potential? And bring honour to our house?”

Byleth slowly looked to Hilda and closed her eyes. “If she accepts, I can teach her.”

“I’ll do it!” Hilda sniffled, and squeezed Holst’s hand tighter. “I’ll make you proud Holsty! I’ll be super strong, no more lazy Hilda, I promise!”

He slowly smiled and nodded to himself. “Good.” Before looking at Judith. “Please… don’t let the Alliance go to war with Almyra. If we do, then we are… good… as…”

Holst didn’t finish his sentence. He was gone, the life drained from his eyes as Hilda sobbed loudly into his chest, overcome with grief. Lysithea just looked over to Claude, who was passed out, and Leonie, who was being watched over by Lorenz. She then looked down at her hands and clenched her fists.

“After all this training… I was still so weak… I know my training isn’t complete but I should be so much more!”

Byleth closed her eyes and nodded to Judith. “Let’s get the injured and fallen out of here. We should hold a service.”

“Agreed.” Judith replied, standing up and letting Hilda cry into her brothers chest. “But this just complicated things further. I’ll… I’ll explain later, let’s just get out of here…”

“Yeah, you’re right. Lorenz is looking over Leonie right now, but she needs a doctor. So does Claude. I’ll stay behind with Hilda.” Byleth said and Judith took charge for now, leading the rest of the Golden Deer away. All except Hanneman who wanted one last conversation before going away.

“I fear that war may be on our horizon, Miss Byleth. I just hope that the power you and the others possess are enough to stop that from happening.”

Byleth watched him walk away after those words were spoken and looked at her hand before clenching it. But the sound of Hilda crying snapped her out of her thoughts and she turned to the pink haired girl who wiped her face and then spoke.

“Miss Byleth… I want to ask you a question. Do you think the Almyran’s are a threat?”

“No.” Byleth replied, standing beside Hilda. “Your brother said not to judge a nation based on the actions of a few people. I think he was right to say that.”

Hilda just laughed to herself and sniffled, turning away from his brothers corpse as soldiers slowly carried him away. She just couldn’t look at him right now. “Claude told me you always knew what to say. He also told me the reason for your little Task Force. That girl… she was one of the people you’re looking for, right?”

“It’s too soon to say.” Byleth replied. “But it’s possible. She did look like she was meddling in others affairs.”

“Hm.” Hilda hummed to herself and looked straight into Byleth’s eyes. “I was serious when I said I would join you. If you allow me to. I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye on things. I like to make things easy, you like to run everyone into the ground and be a general fun sponge-“

“You’re not helping your case here.”

Byleth deadpanned.

“Buuuuuut, you’re tough and stuff! And if Holsty wanted me to get myself to my max potential, then why not let you help me?”

Byleth honestly wasn’t sure. She has seen Hilda fight today, and while she was very impressive, she also lazes about when it comes to her classes if what she heard from Hanneman is true. Not to mention the reason why the Task Force was made in the first place.

“You know my training is very difficult.”

“I know.”

“And we’re going to be fighting more of these enemies as they appear.”

“Yup.”

“And yet, you still want to do this?”

Hilda nodded. “Holsty wants me to do it. And if that girl that killed him is one of them, then I can personally cave her skull in with my axe! Claude even taught me the basics of Ki, so I’m already one step ahead!”

Now this surprised Byleth. She knows Ki already? No wonder she was stronger, if she already has it unlocked. Then there was no doubt in her mind anymore. “Okay. Welcome to Task Force 141.”

Hilda beamed at being accepted, but it soon changed into a look of sadness once she caught sight of Holst being covered with a white sheet and she started to cry in her hands again. “I just can’t believe he’s gone…”

Byleth watched Claude and Leonie be taken away and placed a hand on Hilda’s shoulder. “Let’s go. I suppose I owe you a day at the spa. Will that make you feel better?”

“It’s… a start.” Hilda sniffled and smiled at Byleth before hugging her. “Thank you… Professor.”

“Anytime Hilda. Anytime.”

* * *

“So, Legion was defeated. Yet, the mission was a success.” Cornelia huffed while scribbling notes on a slate. “It’s just a shame the crystal was destroyed.”

“We do not need it, as we now have the data necessary.” Thales replied and stood up. “You are to remain here for now and keep on calibrating. I will pick up our little helper.”

“Do you honestly think that he is to be trusted?” Cornelia asked while turning off her Scouter to which Thales grinned.

“The dog knows not to step out of line and the girl knows that she has no say in the matter. In any case, I’m feeling generous for him and decided he could have some answers.”

With that, he teleported away leaving Cornelia by herself who walked up to a keypad and inputted a code in before watching the door open.

“Let’s not waste time then.”

* * *

Hubert was standing behind a tree with his arms behind his back as he watched the woman who killed Holst walk up to him.

“Where were you when I got shot?!”

“My orders were to ensure General Holst’s demise.” Hubert replied and watched her start to glow a dark colour as her disguise slowly melted away revealing Kronya who picked dirt off her fingernails and huffed.

“Well, at least you were good for something. That Mercenary is too much of a bother. How she and her brats managed to defeat Legion is a wonder to me.”

“Because she is the Fell Star.”

Both Hubert and Kronya turned to see Thales approaching the pair. “She has the power of Sothis inside her. As such, she is capable of many things. But it is her very biology that makes her a threat. Kronya, you are dismissed. Get ready for your next mission. They will be ready by the end of the week.”

“Aye, aye!” Kronya grinned and walked away before teleporting out of sight. Thales then turned his attention on Hubert.

“You have your questions and your thoughts. I think it’s only fair that after today, you deserve to know more.”

Hubert raised an eyebrow as Thales lead him out to the battlefield where the fight against Legion took place. Not a soul in sight, as everyone had taken away the injured and the dead. But Thales was more interested in what was around him. He took out a Scouter from his pocket and tossed it to Hubert who caught it with one hand.

“Put it on, and see for yourself.”

Hubert eyed his skeptically and slowly put on the Scouter and pressed a button watching a cloak of magic go over his left eye and allowed him to see what was in the air. Balls of blue light everywhere. Though when he took it off, he couldn’t see them anymore.

“You know what that is?” Thales asked. “Those are remnants of the Ki that was used today. Everytime the Fell Star and her brats use Ki, the particles are left in the air. And that works in our favour.”

Thales slowly took out a Dark Crystal and looked into it, smirking. “One of Cornelia’s greatest inventions. The ability to store Ki inside these and in turn, we can use it on our enemies.”

He held it high in the air and Hubert watched as the Ki particles slowly got sucked into the Dark Crystal, and making it glow more and more with power. Once that was done, Thales handed out the crystal to Hubert who blinked in surprise.

“You have been most helpful ever since Edelgard appointed you to our service. And this is me reaching out an olive branch to you. You can keep the Scouter, and you can power up that crystal as much as you need to. That’s one of our newest models, which you can use to absorb Ki even when it’s inside you.”

But then Thales glowered at Hubert with a hard glare. “Please do not bite the hand that feeds you. Or I will have you killed. You hear me?”

“…You humble me, Lord Thales.” Hubert said, bowing to him and placing the Crystal in his pocket. “So, what is next?”

“We have done our part in the Alliance.” Thales replied, placing a hand on his shoulder and teleporting them back to the base. “They will be in shambles and wondering who to point fingers at. The next part is causing chaos in Fódlan. That is where the Fell Star comes in.”

Hubert frowned in confusion as he watched Thales input a code on a keypad before watching the door open. “Tell me, how familiar are you with the Moon Beast?”

“That’s just a rumour.” Hubert replied, as he followed Thales throughout the base.

“Ah, but it’s not. It is as real as you and I. The only reason that it hasn’t appeared in so long is because it needs the right conditions to come out. And that’s exactly what we are going to do.”

He opened another door and Hubert’s eyes widened at what he saw. A strange device that looked partially destroyed and was hooked up to various cables and wiring. It looked unlike anything that he had ever seen before. Nothing from Fódlan.

“This is…”

“Alien? That’s because it is.” Thales said, picking up a notebook. “You see, this is a transportation device. Which has given us so much valuable data, as well as the true identity of the Moon Beast. And our window is fast approaching for it to be unleashed upon Fódlan once again.”

Thales could see Hubert’s confused look and Thales just chuckled in return. “In due time, you will see. What is in front of you is but a taste of what we have found out. Especially the true nature of Edelgard’s Mercenary Professor.”

Hubert was handed the notebook which contained so much valuable information. “Oh, and this is for you only. If you give this to anyone else, you will be killed. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

“Good. Now, let us make preparations. Soon, destruction will reign upon Fódlan once again!”

* * *

“They were successful… were they not?” Edelgard asked, having been sensing the battle along with Jeralt, Petra and Caspar.

“Yeah… but General Holst lost his life in the process.” Jeralt grunted and ran a hand through his hair. “This is starting to take a turn for the worst.”

“Well, what are we to do now?” Caspar asked, still irritated that he just stood around while his teammates were fighting for their lives. But Jeralt had another idea in mind.

“We train. After all, The Battle of the Eagle and the Lion will soon be upon us.” Jeralt grinned, standing up and stretching. “And I’ll be damned if you guys get stomped on by the others.”

“It is appearing to be the best course of action.” Petra nodded which Edelgard agreed with.

“And I sense our training will be vital in the coming future, so we get to see how far we have gone. Plus, it would help to serve as a nice distraction from all that has happened.”

“Yeah! Aw man, I’m so pumped!” Caspar yelled, having forgotten all about his earlier frustrations and Jeralt smirked to himself.

“Good. Now you three do ten laps around the Monastery. Now.”

“Yes, Professor!”

Jeralt sighed, watching them jog away as he sensed someone behind him.

“That fight was way too close for comfort.” It was Shamir who had just flown over after getting her information. “Seems they’re catching up to Byleth fast. Or even surpassed her. That’s bad news for us.”

“Yeah. We’re in trouble. Sometimes I wonder if what we’re doing is enough.” Jeralt said, folding his arms together.

“Only one way to find out. Either we run away like cowards, or we die knowing that we have it our all.” Shamir replied, clenching her fist which made Jeralt chuckle.

“I like you, Shamir. Never change.”

Shamir just smirked in return. “I don’t plan to. But back to business. The Blue Lions will be returning soon, I passed them on the way here. I propose once the Golden Deer arrive, we double on the training. At least teach them how to

fly. It could help them a lot.”

But then they noticed a figure slowly making its way towards them and Jeralt instantly recognised them. “Seems she did her job already…”

“Who is that?” Shamir asked. “I wasn’t aware Byleth was teaching more students.”

“Yeah, this one prefers to keep to themselves.”

But once they could even greet the person who was running, they shot past the two and made their way to the dorms before locking a door behind them. Jeralt just growled and shook his head.

“If she was in that battle, there’s no doubt that she was injured! She can’t shut herself in her room again!”

Shamir just placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into the distance. “Seems this person got here pretty quick. And I have a feeling I know who it is. In that case, let’s wait if Byleth can coax her out. She is good at working miracles.”

“Yeah… let’s do that.”

“…I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Jeralt.”

“…So do I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now I’m satisfied with the Legion arc being complete. I’m glad I took the time to do this, because I honestly had fun writing this part. The ending was a little rushed yeah, but nobody is perfect.
> 
> So yeah, you could probably tell who it was that helped them in the fight, right? I’ve been dropping not subtle hints. I know it doesn’t make sense for her to return that fast, but think of it as a freak ability to return to her room as soon as possible.
> 
> Also, you might think Leonie being hurt by grabbing the sword doesn’t make sense, and I would agree. But using a relic does take away health in the game if you don’t have a Crest, and I decided that the Sword of the Creator is a special case that only someone with the Crest of Flames can wield it, Crest Stone or no Crest Stone.
> 
> So Hilda is joining the Task Force, which is great because I love writing for Hilda. She’s one of my favourite units. And that means no more Golden Deers to be recruited.
> 
> Claude has his own original attack. I decided to keep with the Deer theme when coming up with a name. Fear the Deer after all.
> 
> Byleth would definitely go Super Saiyan at Jeralt’s death. Look, if Goten and Trunks can get it by playing around and Caulifla can get it easily, I think I’m allowed to have Byleth achieve it. But why doesn’t she use it after she fused with Sothis? I do have a reason.
> 
> So the Dark Crystals are the same mechanic I use in another fic on FanFiction.Net, Pokemon: Elementals as they both kind of serve the same purpose.
> 
> So yeah, join us next time for the epilogue of the Legion Arc and onto the Death Knight chapter. It’s gonna be pretty interesting.
> 
> So please let me know what you think and I’ll see you next time.
> 
> Catch you later!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys thought I’d show you one of the art pieces made the lovely quan ming on Twitter. I’d show you the other one, but can’t find it on google images and doesn’t agree with Reddit it seems. But here’s how Byleth looks in the story!

  


Part 1: White Clouds   


From Bad to Worse

“Aaaaaaahhhh… I really, REALLY needed that drink.” Judith sighed loudly as she had just downed a large pint of beer. She was currently in a bar with Byleth as they were back in Daphnel pretty quickly, as they had to get the injured to a doctor as soon as possible. The most damaged being Claude and Leonie. Byleth reminded herself to check up on them later tonight. But right now, Judith really needed to talk to her. It had been two days since the fateful battle and a lot had happened in that time span.

“So… I had just gotten out of the emergency meeting that had taken place today.”

Ah yes. Byleth wasn’t too familiar with how politics worked, but she remembered a bunch of Nobles scampering about in Daphnel trying to keep their conversations quiet before their meeting started. Seems that the news of Holst’s death travelled fast.

“I’m assuming that it went well?” Byleth asked while taking a sip of her own beer. She also needed a drink after what happened and she watched Judith slam her head in the table groaning loudly.

“Honestly, you would think the people running this place would have a clear head on their shoulders, but it was non stop finger pointing. Worse of all, this wasn’t even the most heated the meetings had gotten.”

“How so?” Byleth asked, as Judith picked herself up. But before she could respond, a new voice piped in.

“It’s nice to know you’re taking this with a straight face, Lady Judith.”

Both women turned around to see an old man walk into the tavern. He had a neatly trimmed gray beard and a thin, combed over set of hair of the same colour. Using his cane to move himself along, he sat down next to Byleth who had no clue who this man was. Though he looked oddly familiar.

Sensing Byleth’s confusion, Judith piped up. “Byleth, meet the current Duke of the Alliance, Oswald Von Riegan. Claude’s grandfather.”

Oh, so that explains why he looked familiar to her. He certainly bore a resemblance to Claude in some aspects. Oswald smiled to Byleth and nodded. “I have heard a lot about you from the brat. And I want to thank you for what you did at the border. I heard from my soldiers how fast and adaptable you were, you saved many lives.”

“Thank you sir…” Byleth tried to be kind but found herself frowning deeply. “But it wasn’t enough. General Holst still lost his life. I tried to save him but-“

“Now, I won’t hear you moping about, Byleth.” Oswald scolded. “You can’t save everyone. And while it is very unfortunate that Holst has left us, the fact is that you kept the casualties to a minimum. Well, you and the Golden Deer.”

“Seriously, if it weren’t for you, Lysithea, Leonie and the boy doing your Ki stuff, Legion would’ve destroyed us in an instant.” Judith piped up. “Give yourself some credit, you did good.”

“…Thank you. Are Claude and Leonie okay?” Byleth asked, looking over to Oswald. “I haven’t been able to visit them at all today. I’ve been working with the rest of their class.”

Oswald scratched his beard and hummed in thought. “Well, I don’t know much about this Leonie girl but Claude seems to be doing okay. But from what I heard from the doctor, the boy was at death’s door when he got brought in. What the hell happened out there?”

Both Judith and Byleth looked at each other before Byleth spoke. “He charged a powerful attack that used his Ki. His life energy. It was what we needed to defeat Legion for good. I’m sorry, I should’ve stopped him-“

“The hell you apologising for? I’m proud of him! He has matured a lot since I last saw him.”

Byleth just looked at him and Oswald sighed to himself. “Oh sorry, I forgot you wouldn’t know about what he was like. The boy was… well, selfish isn’t the right word, but he was always looking out for himself. Whenever he did something, he would think about how it would benefit him.”

“Well, I certainly caught a glimpse of that when he came to Remire Village.” Byleth replied. “Apparently, when they were ambushed by the bandits, he ran off leaving everyone behind. Though he claimed it was a ‘tactical retreat’.”

“Oh, that boy was certainly a handful.” Judith sighed, getting another mug of beer. Then a smirk crossed her lips. “Though, I can already see a difference from his time at Garreg Mach.”

“Indeed.” Oswald nodded. “The fact that he risked his own life to save everyone else, well I can tell you’ve made an impact on him. He’s definitely on the right track to take my place one day as the Duke, that’s for sure.”

But then Judith had a hand rubbing her temples before speaking. “We barely managed to get out of a war today.”

Oswald growled and folded his arms, shaking his head. “Honestly, those fools are too eager to fight with swords and not with words. Don’t they understand that we do not have the resources to pick a fight with Almyra?”

That’s when the pair realised Byleth was still here and was probably very confused.

“Sorry, keep forgetting that you don’t have a clue about what’s going on.” Judith said and started to explain. “You see, in the Alliance we aren’t like the Empire or the Kingdom when it comes to leading. Instead, we do round table discussions to try and come to a reasonable decision on how to lead our people.”

“Discussion is a strong word.” Oswald grumbled, as a mug of water was placed next to him by a waitress. “Honestly, it’s mostly about taxes on trading goods and who gets the bigger tax break most of the time.”

“Technically, I shouldn’t even be a part of the discussions.” Judith continued, keeping her eyes on Byleth. “My house used to be a member at the round table but… internal disputes lead to us giving it to House Edmund instead.”

“Well, you ain’t getting out of it that easily, I need you at those meetings to keep me sane.” Oswald grumbled. “And that’s why Judith here is a special member.”

Byleth slowly nodded, getting the gist of it and looked over to the two. “Was it bad? You said you just barely avoided a war.”

Both Judith and Oswald grimaced at that and sighed loudly before Oswald spoke up. “We’ve been at odds with Almyra for quite some time. Not just in the Alliance, but all of Fódlan. We’re just unlucky enough to be their next door neighbour. But certain other Lords don’t like the Almyran’s, and were always sick of their bandits picking fights with us.”

“House Goneril was put in charge of our military faction in order to fend off minor attacks.” Judith continued. “Holst was a great leader who could command the troops rather effectively. Though he… always made a show about it. I’m surprised that wasn’t how he went out. That, or by eating strange mushrooms.”

“And now with Holst no longer with us, that’s one of the seats of our table now gone.” Oswald said. “Normally, we would appoint the next in line to the seat, but Hilda is too young to inherit it yet. And now these idiots either blame each other, or call for the heads of the Almyran’s.”

“So… what is next for you?” Byleth asked.

“Well, we have an investigation take place over our dearly departed General. The statements from those that were at the battle show that something isn’t right. I’ve been Duke for a very long time and I’ve never seen an Almyran act like that before. They are all driven by honour and code. They don’t use sneaky tactics either, and they certainly don’t use weird devices on their faces.”

That’s when Oswald looked over to Byleth again and sighed. “You leave this to us. After all, this took place on Alliance territory, and so we shall look into the matter at hand ourselves. Now, I believe you should be visiting your two students, should you not?”

“Yes… thank you. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Byleth said, standing up and nodding to the pit before leaving.

“She’s done well with the boy.” Judith commented, looking at Byleth walk away. “He’s certainly grown up.”

“Yeah… let’s just hope he doesn’t have to do what he did again.”

* * *

  
  


Byleth sighed, slowly walking into the medical ward and closing the door behind her before looking at the bed in front of her which Leonie was laying in. She had bandages around her arms and hands but otherwise looked relatively unharmed. The doctor was there, checking her vitals and making sure everything was okay.

“Is she going to be well?” Byleth asked. She had been asking that same question the past few days but always got an unsure answer. But this time it was good news.

“If she was a normal human, then she wouldn’t have been able to use her arms ever again. She damaged her nerves, but bizarrely, her body is repairing itself. Though those scars that she has will be permanent. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder to not do something as dangerous as that ever again.”

Byleth breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it seems that her Ki was helping to heal her. At least she wouldn’t have lost anything major once she recovered, and scars were a good way to remind yourself on how far you have come. “And Claude?”

“Though he did give us all a scare when he arrived, he too will be fine. Just some rest is all he needs. If everything lines up, then both of them should be awake tomorrow. Then we can see if they are fit enough to leave.”

“And they are completely fine?” Byleth asked one more time, just to be sure and the doctor nodded again.

“Against all odds, there’s nothing wrong with them physically. Young Leonie’s scars aside, they should make a full recovery. How long that will take however, I cannot say.”

That’s when the doctor pushed up his glasses and grabbed his notebook. “I must be going now. If you wish to visit Claude, do it now. But Leonie has to rest, so I must ask you to leave her room.”

“I understand. Thank you doctor.” Byleth nodded and let the doctor past before looking at Leonie one more time. It’s strange. Despite the times she irritates Byleth with her obsession with Jeralt, Leonie grew on her. Like a little sister in a way. It certainly made her feel a lot better to hear that she would recover.

But now, she had to see if Claude was okay as the doctor closed the door to Leonie’s room behind her. “I think there is another person visiting him too, but I’m not sure if they left yet. Just wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you doctor.”

Byleth walked down the corridor and was outside the room that Claude would be in before slowly peeking inside and her eyes widened at what she saw.

It was Claude, still unconscious and wrapped in bandages. But then she saw Hilda was on a chair sitting next to him, holding his bandaged hand and resting her head on his shoulder, fast asleep. Seems she’s been in here for quite some time waiting for him. It was honestly a cute sight.

“Well… I think I can wait until tomorrow.” Byleth said to herself with a warm smile and quietly shut the door to not disturb Hilda. She made sure to tell the doctor if Hilda could stay the night beside Claude as she was already asleep.

The doctor furrowed his brows and scratched at his beard. “Well, she did lose her brother recently, so I suppose she’s needing someone to hold onto. Very well, I will allow her to stay by his side. But I will check in regularly to make sure nothing has gone wrong. Thank you for letting me know Miss Eisner.”

“Anytime. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Byleth bowed and rubbed her head as she felt it starting to ache. She needed a place to think.

* * *

  
  


Hours had passed, and it was two in the morning. The sky was still completely dark with only the moon providing light down below. Byleth was sitting on top of a building and staring up at it. She had to keep in mind that a full moon would occur in the later days. Had to be in bed when that comes.

“Can’t sleep?”

She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw it was Shamir standing behind her. Shamir just smirked and sat beside Byleth. “Well, your dad was worried about you, so I thought that I would check up to make sure everything is okay.”

But then Shamir’s face turned serious as she also looked up at the moon. “News travels fast. Almost all of Fódlan now know of General Holst’s passing. It’s sad really. But I suppose we all have to say goodbye to this life eventually, even if we are rarely ready. But I can sense that you’re blaming yourself for what happened?”

Byleth was just silent as she closed her eyes, trying to feel the presence of Sothis. But she had yet to return. She hasn’t heard from the spirit since she used her Divine Pulse’s. And it’s left her alone with her thoughts. “Shamir. I’m scared.”

Shamir just raised an eyebrow but sighed to herself. “Yeah. Me too. It feels like we’re walking into a situation that we haven’t prepared for. Like there is something bigger going on.”

“There was a girl from Almyra that killed Holst.” Byleth said. “But she was wearing that thing on her head. A Scouter.”

“Shit. That either means two things.” Shamir muttered, brushing her bangs out of her face. “Either Almyra is part of this, or they’ve got inside agents.”

“Or they’re trying to frame Almyra.” Byleth continued which caused Shamir to give her an odd look. “Nobody else had Scouters when we fought them. And they have a history of interfering in other matters so they can gain more power. The only time they didn’t was when we stopped them in the Kingdom.”

“So you think that they’re trying to frame them…” Shamir hummed, closing her eyes in thought and rubbing her chin. “It certainly adds up. They’re trying to keep the Alliance busy while they wreak more havoc across Fódlan. But why? Why do they want to destroy everything? I can understand trying to take over, but they seem more interested in destruction.”

“I suppose we will find out more when we get there.” Byleth replied and then remembered something. “Is she okay?”

“…She’s locked herself in her room. She hasn’t left in days. She keeps on saying how it was her fault and how you’re going to kill her.”

Byleth sighed and looked down at her hands, before clenching them together. “When I’m back, I’ll talk to her. She helped us a lot and I’m sure she got injured when she was attacked.”

“She was attacked?” Shamir asked, eyes widening to which Byleth nodded.

“She ran off before I could get a good look at her. I was too exhausted from the fight to do anything so I couldn’t go after her… which reminds me. We need to train our butts off if we’re going to stand a chance in the later stages.”

“Or a miracle.” Shamir mumbled before standing up. “Well, I’ll let your dad and Lady Rhea know that you’re doing okay. I only came over to check up on you. So, end of the week you’ll be back?”

“End of the week. Just so we can attend the funeral of Holst and make sure everyone is recovered.”

Shamir nodded and gave a two fingered salute before flying off into the direction of Garreg Mach. Byleth was by herself again. Until she heard a voice that gave her an immediate sense of relief.

‘ _I can only guess what happened due to your somber mood. Were you able to save everyone?_ ’

It was Sothis who was now sitting next to her, waiting for a response. Byleth just looked away, unable to give her an answer and the Spirit understood.

‘ _I hate to say that I told you so… but you can’t save everyone. If even the flow of time wasn’t enough to help then it was meant to be._ ’

“Mm…”

‘ _…You can’t blame yourself. You’re only human after all._ ’

“Sometimes I wonder if I even am human.” Byleth said, looking down at her tail by her side. But then she shook her head and put that to the back of her mind. “I suppose you’re right. But I wonder if I could’ve done more…”

‘ _Look, quit beating yourself up! You still saved lots of lives and stopped a dangerous foe! And we both know that this isn’t the end of what’s happening, we need to prepare for what’s next._ ’

“…You’re right Sothis.” Byleth said, standing up and smiling. “Thank you. It’s best we use this time wisely, and once the service for Holst is over, we get Hilda up to speed.”

‘ _There we go! Now you’re thinking logically!_ ’ Sothis said, smiling to Byleth. ‘ _You’re right, let’s get young Hilda to the level of Ashe and the others. As you said, we need to be stronger!_ ’

* * *

  
  


WHACK!

“Ow!”

“Focus!”

BOOM!

“Watch my hair!”

CRASH!

Byleth sighed as she watched Hilda crawl out of the barrel that she was launched into. “Let’s take a break, and we can evaluate your progress.”

It had been four days since she had that talk with Shamir and Sothis. The service for Holst was a beautiful one and Byleth was hoping that Hilda would take this time to properly mourn. But now, she was constantly asking to train with Byleth in order to improve herself. And while Byleth was happy that she was taking this seriously, she couldn’t help but notice some very dangerous flaws Hilda currently had that that she has never shown before.

Byleth stabbed her training sword into the ground and gestured Hilda to sit next to her. Hilda unfortunately, didn’t have the uniform that the other members of 141 had, simply because her spares were at the Monastery. Byleth knew that she wanted to keep Hilda in and so would give her the beginners uniform. Or if she advanced fast enough, give her the intermediate ones that Claude, Leonie and Lysithea wore. The most she could do was put gravity hexes on Hilda’s spare academy uniform to maximise her training. She was adjusting well to them, but could tell it was wearing her down.

“Right. Let’s start with the positives.” Byleth said, looking over to Hilda. “You are really strong. Despite your small stature, you have a lot of power behind your swings. But then there’s your fighting style. You go in charging, putting all your power into one swing. Now normally, you wouldn’t have to worry about this since all you’ve fought are bandits and training with knights, but if you’re coming with the Task Force, then you’ll be dealing with foes who know how to fight. And that style you have just isn’t going to cut it.”

She then stood up and walked to the middle of the field and opened her arms. “Come at me. Try and hit me. What we did before was merely me testing your strength, now I want you to try and land a blow.”

Hilda looked down at her training axe and then back at Byleth. She knew better than to underestimate the Mercenary, considering as far as she knew, none of the students have been able to hit her. But… she did ask for it, so she may as well oblige. So she readied her axe and charged towards Byleth.

“Here I come Professor, get ready!”

But then she found very quickly that she was about to have a bad time. First, her attack didn’t even connect, as Byleth sidestepped out of the way. Then she stamped on Hilda’s foot and thrusted her hand in her face, before yanking the axe out of her grasp and side sweeping Hilda causing her to fall to the ground on her back and then an axe pointed directly at her face. All in the span of a few seconds.

“What… what just happened?”

“You’re putting too much emphasis on the power behind your swing. Like I said, good against people who don’t know how to fight. Bad for people who do. Also, you’re acting a lot more irrationally than before.”

Hilda just huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, I lost one of my closest family members this week, so I’m still not fully over that. I mean come on, what would you be like if your own dad was killed in front of you?”

Before Byleth could answer, her vision started fizzing out as a voice sounded in her head.

**_“It looks like… I’m going to have to leave you now.”_ **

****

Before her vision returned to normal and she clutched at her head and hissed in pain, feeling a severe headache form which caught Hilda’s attention. “Are… you okay, Professor?”

“I’m fine.” Byleth replied and helped up her student before stepping back and tossing her coat away, Hilda jumping as the sound it made when it hit the ground scared her. “Tell me, how good are you at hand hand to hand combat?”

“Well… I know the basics. But I’m guessing I won’t do too good with the people that we’ll be fighting, will we?”

Byleth smiled and shook her head. “Not for now. But I’m sure I can get you to a level where you could defend yourself without an axe. Not to mention you’ll need mental training too in order to focus in a fight. But for now, we shall start with your stance. Copy what I’m doing.”

Hilda watched Byleth slowly sink down into a stance that looked pretty simple to do. Turn to the side, bend your knees, keep your right hand level to your face, put your left fist by your side. Simple.

So she did exactly that as Byleth walked up to her and placed her hands on her shoulders, pulling her back slightly. “Straighten your spine. So you look more confident in your actions.”

And she grabbed Hilda’s right hand and held it in place. “Keep it steady. Don’t be loose. Treat every battle like it’s your life. Because one day, it might be just that.”

Byleth then nudged her student’s right foot a little more forward as Hilda was starting to feel uncomfortable as her body moved in a way it never has before as Byleth observed it once more before nodding to herself. “It’s a start. Once we’re back at the Monastery, we can do a lot more training. I hope you’re ready, because you’ll be needing a lot of catching up.”

“Ah, my dear Hilda is growing up! It really brings a tear to my eye…”

Both women looked behind them to see Claude approaching, giving his trademark smirk. He had fully recovered yesterday along with Leonie and was able to walk about freely. Aside from a couple of scars on his arm, he didn’t have any lasting damage.

“Gonna be honest, I never thought I would see the day that you would be training with us.” Leonie piped in as unlike Claude, she had some noticeable scars on her hands and wrists, almost like lightning marks formed on them from when she pulled out the Sword of the Creator. “How is it treating you so far?”

“Clothes… too… heavy…” Hilda grunted, now struggling to stay in the stance as the gravity hexes were now taking its toll on her. Lysithea just rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

“I hope that if you are joining us, then you take it seriously. Professor Byleth won’t let you pull off your excuses, I hope you know that.”

And that’s when Hilda collapsed onto the ground as the weight took its toll. “How long do I… have to wear this?”

“Until I say so.” Byleth replied which made Hilda’s eyes almost pop out of her head. But the Mercenary was already walking away towards the carriages taking them home. “You wished to do this, so do not expect me to go easy on you. You’ll be given the full extent of the training back at the Monastery, so consider this a test run.”

Hilda slowly planted her face into the dirt and let out some words that weren’t very befitting for a lady of her status. Claude just kneeled down and extended a hand to help her up but slowly leaned forward and lowered his voice.

“You okay? I know you’re trying to keep your mind off it but-“

“I’m fine.” Hilda replied, dusting her clothes and folded her arms. “It hurts… but I need to try and move forward… right?”

Leonie and Lysithea looked at each other, before the former stepped forward. “It’s okay to grieve, Hilda. I know Professor Byleth would allow you to do so.”

Hilda closed her eyes and struggled to keep her tears at bay, but gave a bright smile that unfortunately looked very fake. “Don’t worry about me guys. Really! I’m fine. I’d rather focus on the training and I’m sure Holsty wouldn’t want me wallowing in pain anyway. Now come on, let’s get going already so I can get out of this filthy uniform!”

Before anyone could stop her, she ran off in the same direction that Byleth went as the rest of the Golden Deer joined up. Lorenz had a deep frown on his face as he shook his head.

“The poor girl is torturing herself. She should properly grieve.”

“She didn’t even cry during the funeral… ever since, she’s just been training non stop.” Raphael muttered, scratching his head. “I mean, I like training a lot, but even I know when to take breaks.”

That’s when Hanneman stepped forward and sighed. “Everyone deals with grief in their own way. She’s merely trying to distract herself from it. Give her some time, and eventually she will be back to her normal self. She just needs a good moment to let it all out.”

Claude hadn’t said anything. He just looked in the direction she ran off in and clenched his fist. This was his fault. He should’ve done something, anything, to try and help save Holst. If this was a normal school year, he would’ve had plenty of back up plans.

…But he was learning very quickly just how out of his league he was. None of his plans worked. Because this was stuff he has never even heard of before, much less try and plan against. Sometimes he just felt useless.

But maybe there was something he could do. A plan that would definitely work. So he turned to his class and gave his trademark grin.

“Leave it to me guys. I’ll make sure Hilda has a good cry before we’re home. And then she will be back to the lazy girl we all know and love.”

“I just hope that we don’t encounter anymore excitement.” Ignatz said, pushing his glasses up. “Or better yet, leave it up to you guys. I know when it’s time to step back.”

“Yeah, I need to train up my muscles for next time.” Raphael grinned, thumping his chest. “Can’t exactly be a Knight if I can’t protect myself, right?”

“Then train with us!” Lysithea screeched, having been driven insane by his naïve views. “You could be so much stronger! I’m more stronger than you! I’m like ten of you! You could be so much more!”

“Yeah… but meditating is boring!” Raphael replied.

Lysithea just stuttered and tried to formulate a response as blood rushed down her nose which concerned Leonie.

“Are you… okay?”

“I’m fine… just… had an aneurysm from sheer stupidity.”

“Wow. Didn’t realise you were that stupid Lysithea.” Claude grinned.

…

The scream that came out of the mouth of Lysithea could be heard for miles as birds scattered from fright. In other villages and towns people looked up from what they’re ere doing and wondered what in the world that sound was.

* * *

  
  


“Well, despite what had happened, it was nice to have met you Byleth.” Judith said, shaking her hand as she smiled. “If you ever need help, you know where to find me.”

“Won’t you come with us?” Byleth asked. “You could become part of the Task Force and help.”

“Tempting offer, but my place is here.” Judith replied with a smile. “But hey. You keep a good eye on the boy for me, got it? He did very good the other day and it’s all thanks to you. And feel free to visit at any point, I’d love to have a beer with you.”

“Thank you, I feel the same way.” Byleth smiled back, and looked at the students approaching. “I hope you are able to do what’s best for the Alliance.”

“So do I. Let’s just hope that this is the last case of excitement for a while.”

“Believe me, I feel the same way.”

* * *

  
  


Later on in the night at Garreg Mach…

“Why, aren’t you all blooming perfectly?”

Flayn hummed to herself as she was busy tending to a set of flowers in the greenhouse. She loved doing this in her spare time, especially at night. She felt like the moon made them shine in a way the sun couldn’t. Though no doubt Seteth would not approve of her avoiding curfew to pick flowers. Not like he had approved of her doing anything that she wanted to do.

They weren’t on the best of terms right now as she had a huge argument with him earlier because he kept getting in the way when she was trying to make friends.

“Oh well, at least you all can be my friends, right?” She said, talking to the flowers. “I’m sure my brother wouldn’t have anything to say about you.”

Flayn then leaned down and inhaled their scent, sighing happily. “Amazing… I’m amazed on how the greenhouse has changed in the course of a few months. It was barely tended to before Miss Byleth showed up… perhaps I could give her some flowers when she gets back?”

She nodded to herself and then giggled. “Oh silly Flayn. There you go talking to yourself again. And you wonder why people find you odd. But I suppose one must do what they can to keep a sense of tranquility around here.”

But then Flayn froze when a distant memory came back to her. A land of ruin and destruction everywhere. And at the centre of it was a loud chilling scream with overflowing power. But she quickly shook her head and took a few deep breathes.

“Stay calm… stay calm…”

But suddenly, her senses skyrocketed when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. Those weren’t Seteth’s boots. It sounded like armour… but the guards shouldn’t be here-

**“You are coming with me.”**

Flayn slowly turned around and was face to face with the Death Knight who had blocked the exit as a way to prevent her from leaving. She slowly narrowed her eyes and stood up, clasping her hands together. “I-I am not afraid of you… I know how to fight. So please leave so we do not have to do things we will regret.”

**“Oh? You wish to fight? Hmm… I have heard a lot about you… let’s see if what they say is true.”**

The Death Knight slowly moved forward towards Flayn with his scythe at his side as she tried to find a way out. But she was trapped as the Death Knight swung at her and she barely dodged with a few of her hair ends being cut off. Any closer and it would have been her head.

She had no choice. She had to fight as she charged at the knight and punched him, but found it did no damage. The Death Knight just stared down at where she punched him and shook his head.

**“Is that all you can do? How disappointing. I will allow you one more free shot.”**

Gritting her teeth, and trying her best to stay calm, Flayn brought her hands forward and unleashed a magic spell heading towards him. But it bounced off his armour and dissipated into the air. The Death Knight wasn’t sure if this was some kind of joke she was playing, but he wasn’t in the mood for games. So he walked forward more and noticed the flowers that she had been taking care of and decided to stamp on them, as if to rub in her face that she was completely outclassed.

**“Pathetic… I grow bored of this. It is time to go.”**

But he then noticed Flayn trembling and at first thought it was in fear. But then he saw a green aura surrounding her and when Flayn lifted her head, it was a look of pure rage. Her eyes had slits in them too as her fists clenched as lightning started crackling around her fists.

“You… ruined… the flowers. You’re… making me… angry. You wouldn’t like me… when I’m angry!”

Well, this was interesting. Under his helmet, the Death Knight grinned and leaned forward to Flayn. **“Show me.”**

With a loud roar that he honestly never expected to come out of her, Flayn charged forward and delivered a hard blow to the Death Knight’s chest, which completely shattered his chest plate and threw him to the floor. The force of the punch broke every window in the greenhouse and left him winded, and clutching his chest. But that would be the least of his problems as Flayn gave off an incredible power before him, and he saw something forming on her face… it looked like… scales? Just who was this girl?!

But before either of them could do anything, Flayn froze when a needle made its way into her neck and a sedative was drugged into her system.

She slowly fell out of her transformed state and onto her knees, trying to stay awake but soon found her eyes closing and drifting off into an unconscious state.

The Death Knight slowly picked himself up and caught his breath before looking at Solon disguised as Tomas and holding a syringe. **“I did not need your help…”**

“You must never underestimate the rage of Saint Cethleann.” Solon said, disposing of the syringe by throwing it away. “It will be your undoing. She is much more powerful than her innocent persona would have you believe. Now that we have the girl, you must lay out the trap. Kronya will be here soon to enact her part of the plan, so don’t screw it up!”

**“I will carry out the orders given to me by Thales.”** The Death Knight growled, looking over Solon and making the man cower in fear. **“But I am not your puppet. And you are not my master. Are we clear?”**

“C-C-Crystal! Now hurry! Before the guards come!”

The Death Knight chose to not reply and grabbed Flayn by the ankle and dragged her away from the scene. Solon looked around and saw the destruction caused in the greenhouse and shook his head.

“We should’ve killed her… she’s a danger to everyone. But if this is his orders, then we shall obey.”

* * *

  
  


Meanwhile, the merry band of carriages all rode through the night with Byleth laying on top of a carriage with her hands behind her head staring up at the night sky. It felt like that’s all she had done this week, was stare up and think. Then again, what else could she do? She was fully prepared to keep her distance and let people grieve but Hilda insisted on starting training right away.

“Yo, Teach. Got a minute?”

She looked down beside her to see Claude slowly walking next to her carriage before hoisting himself up. “Sorry, just felt like I needed someone to talk to rather than stewing in my own thoughts, you know?”

“Is this about Hilda?”

“Heh, you know me rather well, don’t you, Teach?” Claude said looking up to the night sky. “Yeah, I’m worried about her. I know she’s hurting inside, and I think the fact she didn’t cry at the funeral is evidence that she’s hurting herself. Like she hasn’t given herself enough time to grieve, you hear me?”

“Yeah… Claude I can’t really give you advice on this matter.” Byleth replied as her tail swung about freely. “All I can say is to be there for her when she needs it. I do agree with you when I say she’s trying to move on too soon, but everyone deals with grief differently.”

“I was thinking you would say that, but thanks for the advice.” Claude smiled, giving a thumbs up. “Well, I best get back to my carriage and try and get some shut eye. After all, we have training to do for the upcoming Battle of the Eagle and Lion.”

Byleth wasn’t sure what he meant by that but decided to ask more about it later as he hopped off the roof and went to his own carriage before opening the door and crawling inside.

“Hey Hilda, sorry about leaving you like that.” Claude started to say as he sat next to his classmate. “Was just talking to Teach about stuff and-“

He blinked in surprise when he found Hilda threw herself into his arms and nuzzled into his shoulder before he heard the muffled sounds of her sobs. He sighed to himself and slowly hugged her.

‘ _Well, seems she finally decided to let her barriers down._ ’

“Claude… I miss him so much…” Hilda whimpered as she let the tears she had been holding back since the funeral flow freely. Claude just simply kept her in his arms.

“I know… I’m glad you’re letting it out.”

“I tried to be strong…”

“I know. But at least once you have managed to properly grieve, you can move on more easily.”

Hilda sniffled and smiled lightly before leaning up and pecking him on the cheek. “Thanks Claude.”

“Anytime Hil. Anytime.” Claude replied and just let her stay there.

* * *

  
  


“Is everything okay Sothis? You’ve been quiet.”

Byleth was still laying on top of the carriage and saw Sothis appear before her who had a deep frown. ‘ _I’m simply thinking to myself… I feel like my memories are coming back yet at the same time they feel so far away. It’s like I’m holding sand in my hand, the more I tighten my grip, the more that slips away._ ’

“Well, can you tell me anything at all?” Byleth asked, sitting up and watched as Sothis sat next to her.

‘ _Its fuzzy… but I remember someone that I called a dear friend. Though I don’t remember her name, I know that she was a very busy person and we were able to have tea just once. Though I can’t recall the events, I do know I was happy… and then I remembered going through a similar training program that your students are going through. And I learned a powerful technique, but… due to not having a physical form, I am unable to use it. I believe it was called Kaio… Kaio…_ ’

“Kaio-Ken?”

‘ _Yes! That’s what it was!_ ’ Sothis yelled, but then looked at Byleth with a quizzical expression. ‘ _That reminds me. You told me that name before, yet I never mentioned it before. So how did you see that in your visions?_ ’

“I’m… not sure.” Byleth replied. “All I remember is using it in battle. How far along in the future it is, I cannot say. The only indication I have is that I had green hair.”

‘ _Green? How curious… well, let’s add that to the list of questions that we have._ ’

Both looked at a field that they were passing and saw a beautiful clearing. The Alliance truly had beautiful plains that stretched far and wide. It looked like a good place to train.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Byleth’s head as the scenery before her shifted. From a calm and peaceful night, to a burning inferno with dark clouds blocking out the moon and fire as far as the eye can see. And then she saw herself. Sword in hand and standing before a looming dark figure who… had a sword similar to hers.

But like a bad dream, it was gone as soon as she blinked. The scenery was back to normal, as it always was. She slowly rubbed her head and felt the pain slowly fade away.

‘ _What… was that?_ ’

Byleth looked to her side to see Sothis also rubbing her head. In the same spot. “You… saw that too?”

‘ _The burning hellscape? Yes. And I saw you, with green hair. But who were you fighting…’_

“Sothis, you saw what I’ve been seeing for a while!” Byleth exclaimed. “The visions that I have been receiving! You can see them now too! Perhaps you could help me make sense of them?”

Sothis slowly smiled and pumped her fist. ‘ _You’re right! Perhaps we will get those answers someday. Now that both of us are able to help one another much more efficiently. But that one we just saw… I hope that this isn’t something that is destined to happen._ ’

* * *

  
  


The next morning, Byleth was roused awake by two things. The glaring light from the sun and also the loud rumblings from her stomach. She was super hungry. But luckily for her, Garreg Mach was but a few minutes away. She could already taste what was to come! Rice, pasta, bread, fish, pork, chicken-

‘ _Would you stop thinking about food?!_ ’ Sothis yelled while folding her arms. ‘ _It’s quite rude to do stuff like that next to someone who can’t eat in the first place!_ ’

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t had a proper meal for a day.”

The spirit just groaned loudly and massaged her temples before giving a look to Byleth. ‘ _Shouldn’t you check up on the students before you-_ ‘

She didn’t even get to finish her sentence. As soon as they stopped just outside of the town, Byleth jumped off of the carriage that she was on and full on sprinted towards the canteen as Sothis sighed in defeat.

‘ _I give up…_ ’

Meanwhile, Claude was already awake and saw Byleth run towards the Monastery and chuckled to himself. “Well, I guess if anyone deserves a feast, it’s Teach.”

But then he noticed how Hilda was still sleeping on his shoulder and gently nudged her to rouse the girl. “Hey Hilda. Time to wake up. We’re here.”

“Mmmmm, five more minutes…”

Claude shook his head and then had an idea as he gently pushed her up so she was slightly suspended before going to lean on his shoulder again… only to be met with nothing but air which caused her to panic as she shrieked loudly, all sense of sleep gone.

That’s when Hilda realised Claude moved out of the way and rubbed her eyes while glaring. “I will remember that.”

“Hey, at least we’re here now.” Claude replied, but gave a soft smile. “You all good?”

“…I think so. I really needed that cry. For the first time in a week, my head feels clearer and it’s like I can finally breathe. Thanks Claude, for letting me do that.”

Claude gave a thumbs up in response and winked. “You just make sure you’re back to the Hilda I know and love.”

There was a moments silence as Claude wondered if he said something wrong until Hilda leaned forward with a smirk. “So you love me?”

…Oh dammit.

“Now, I didn’t mean it like that-“

“But you just said you wanted the Hilda you knew and loved!” Hilda exclaimed and leaned backwards pretending to swoon. “Oh Claude, I never realised you felt this way towards me! Why, it’s all so overwhelming! What will all the Lords think?!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Hilda.” Claude shook his head and kept his smile. “It’s good to have you back.”

Hilda slowly nodded and opened the door. “Well, I’m not fully back, am I? After all, can’t be lazy if I’m to be in 141 with you, right?”

“Right, we have to let the others know about that.”

* * *

  
  


“EEEEEEEHHHHHHH?! HILDA’S JOINING US?!”

The Black Eagles and Blue Lions segment of 141 were all in collective shock as they looked at Hilda who was sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. Edelgard stepped forward and looked over her clothes and saw the familiar gravity runes on the stitching of her uniform.

“I suppose the Professor had gotten you started right away. And how are you adjusting to it Hilda?”

“Well, on the arm region I can handle it fine.” Hilda replied. “It’s just like holding a really big axe, you know? But everywhere else? I feel like I want to die.”

Dimitri silently chuckled to himself and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll adjust in time. After all, you must be full of potential if the Professor took you on.”

But then the mood turned somber as they all remembered the news of what happened as Ashe stepped forward. “Hilda, I’m really sorry-“

“Guys. It’s fine.”

They all looked surprised at Hilda who leaned into Claude. “Like… yeah, it sucks. Like REALLY sucks. But these things happen, especially giving his status. But I can’t be caught up in the past. And even though I’m training and trying to be what Holsty wanted me to be. It still doesn’t change the fact that I want him back.”

“At least you are keeping him in your memories, that’s a good thing.” Edelgard replied, smiling. “Well then, I suppose we should welcome you into our Task Force.”

“So, where will I start? Will I be working on the greenhouse like you guys did?”

That’s when the Golden Deer noticed the looks that their other houses were giving as Claude stepped forward. “What’s up?”

“…A lot has happened while you were gone.” Edelgard said and was about to continue when Caspar jumped in.

“Some dastard broke the greenhouse!”

This caught Claude, Leonie and Lysithea by surprise. “What? How?”

Edelgard glared at Caspar for interrupting as Annette spoke up playing with her hands anxiously. “We’re not sure. We were going to begin this morning’s training with Professor Jeralt and Miss Shamir, but we found the greenhouse was completely ruined!”

“We are still having no clue on who is the culprit.” Petra said, looking to the side. “I am having a bad feeling down in my gut.”

“Seriously? Sheesh, that’s too bad.” Claude muttered, scratching his head. “Sorry Hilda, looks like the training will have to wait.”

“And on top of that, we’ve had a classmate short this entire time.” Edelgard said.

“Really? How so?”

“Bernadetta has locked herself in her room. Usually it’s typical behaviour but this is to a brand new extreme. She hasn’t left period. Not even at night to sneak some food. She says she doesn’t deserve it. Whatever that means.”

“It’s awful.” Annette continued, shaking her head. “Mercie and I leave stuff at her door and that manages to do the trick. But I wonder what’s eating her up like this.”

“I have a theory in mind…” Edelgard muttered to herself which Claude and Dimitri heard. And they had theories of their own. In Claude’s case, this lined up far too well with the events that happened. “We were hoping the Professor would let her see sense.”

“…Where is she anyway?”

* * *

  
  


SLURP! GULP! CRUNCH!

‘ _…_ ’

“This is so tasty…”

‘ _Byleth.’_

Byleth stared up from her bowl with noodles hanging out of her mouth to see Sothis looking at her with a very annoyed look. ‘ _Aren’t you forgetting something?_ ’

“…Oh of course, I forgot the pepper.”

‘ _BERNADETTA! I MEANT BERNADETTA!_ ’ Sothis screamed loudly which caused Byleth to start choking on the noodles she swallowed, but a few hits to the best managed to dislodge the noodles and blinked.

“I feel like that was a mistake… but you’re right! I need to see her!”

* * *

  
  


Byleth panted her as she had full on sprinted towards the dorms after realising what she had forgotten about and slowed down to a walk once in front of the door of the student she wanted to see. And to her surprise she saw Jeralt standing there as he turned around.

“Oh, hey kid. I didn’t know you were back so suddenly. How are you feeling?”

Before she could say that she was fine, a sudden flash of that vision of him dying appeared before her eyes and much to the shock of Jeralt, hugged him and buried her face in his chest.

“Hey Byleth, what’s gotten into you?” Jeralt asked but then felt her start to shiver as his shirt was starting to feel a little damp. “Are you… crying?”

“…I think so.” She then pulled away and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I think seeing Hilda lose her brother and just the stress of this week-“

“Byleth… this is the first time I have ever seen you cry.” Jeralt whispered as Byleth looked up at him. “It’s strange but also… exciting to see you show emotions. Even if the circumstances aren’t exactly cheerful. But yeah, we heard all about what had happened. And I heard about you training Hilda from the Golden Deer. Quite a nice pick, I’ve seen her potential.”

That’s when he grunted to himself and pulled out a flask from his shirt pocket. “But I think I can guess why you’re here. She’s been in here ever since she got back. Hasn’t left at all, which is usually typical behaviour but it’s affecting her health.”

“There’s more than that.” Byleth said, pulling out a bottle of strange liquid. “She was attacked during the fight, and I’m willing to bet that she hasn’t gotten her injury seen to. No response?”

Jeralt shook his head, and scratched at his beard after taking a swig. “Nothing intelligible. Just keeps yammering how everyone is going to kill her and that she doesn’t deserve anything. I’ve tried getting through to her but no luck. But hey, maybe she’ll respond better to you. I got to see about this greenhouse incident anyway.”

“What? What happened to the greenhouse?!”

“I’ll tell you later. For now, go and see to her.”

Byleth nodded and watched Jeralt walk away before clutching the bottle in her hand. It was a bottle of Vulnery mixed with Aloe Vera. And it was needed for her as she knocked on the door.

“Go away!” Bernadetta screamed, almost hysterically. “I didn’t mean to! I don’t want to die!”

“Bernie. It’s me.”

“…Professor? Oh no, I knew this day would come… well, I suppose I should face my death now. I can’t escape you of all people even though I don’t want to die. I only ask that you ask Dedue to look after my plants and to tell Hilda that I’m sorry and-“

“I’m not here to kill you.” Byleth replied, already feeling a headache make it’s way forward as silence followed.

“You’re here to torture me?!”

…Oh good lord…

“Bernadetta, can you please just open the door?”

“Oh no, you used my full first name! You’re really mad… but I suppose that I must accept my punishment now. No point in trying to hide anymore…”

A few more seconds passed before Byleth heard a click and that meant that the door had been unlocked. She just hoped she could snap this girl out of this state as she slowly opened the door and closed it behind her before wrinkling her nose in disgust.

The room was a complete mess. Books thrown everywhere, clothes littered all over the floor, and the smell. It was the smell of a mess that has not been tidied up and no fresh air has been let in for a while. On top of that, there was no candlelight so the room was mostly dark.

But she could see a lone figure sitting on the bed, wrapped up in a blanket and clutching her arm. It was Bernadetta. And she looked even worse than her room. Her hair was a lot messier than usual and dark bags were under her eyes, presumably from lack of sleep. Dried tear streaks were on her face too as she looked like she had been crying for quite a while. The puffy red eyes were evidence of this too. But what was most worrying was how frail she looked. She didn’t look like she had been eating at all. This was very bad, Byleth should’ve gotten here sooner.

But she knew to treat Bernadetta like a lost animal. So she kneeled down and held out a hand. “Let me see your arms.”

“…I don’t want to. I should keep this injury. It’s what I deserve.”

“Bernie, please. I want to help you. But first, you have to help me.”

Bernadetta looked to the side but slowly pulled her arm out of the blanket and showed it to Byleth who lit a candle to get a better look. And it wasn’t good at all.

A severe burn mark on her arm.

From a Ki blast.

She sighed softly and inspected it. The foolish girl hadn’t got it treated, and now it was starting to show signs of infection. “You silly girl. Why didn’t you get this looked at?”

“Because I didn’t think I deserved it. I failed you Professor, I failed Hilda, I failed everyone-“

“You saved Hilda’s life.” Byleth said, pouring some of the aloe vera Vulnery on the wound and watched Bernadetta hiss in pain at the contact before Byleth grabbed some gauze. “We can’t save everyone Bernie. A lesson I myself had to learn as well. And you stopped Legion from harming anyone by keeping him back at times.”

“But-“

“No buts. Now I can tell you for certain that nobody hates you. They’re all just confused on why you’ve been locking yourself in your room more than usual. I can tell your class are really worried about you.”

Bernadetta looked down at her feet as Byleth kept dressing her wound and looked back at the Mercenary. “They… are?”

“Mhm. Now we are going to stop this self loathing and you’re going to get something to eat. And you’re going to Professor Manuela to get this properly looked at. This is just to try and help you with the pain.”

Byleth then stood up once she was done and turned to leave before Bernadetta stopped her. “Wait Professor! I need to ask you something!”

But then she shrunk back and bowed her head. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have yelled…”

But Byleth didn’t say anything. Only turned her head and nodded for her to continue. And after taking a deep breath, Bernadetta continued.

“I think… I want to join the others when it comes to training. Silly old Bernie can’t be useful when she’s training in her room all the time, right? So… I am ready to join the others now… I am your student still, right?”

Byleth smiled and gave a nod. “Of course you are. But first, you get yourself something to eat and take care of yourself. And go and see that your wound is taken care of.”

“R-Right! Thanks Professor!”

With that, Byleth exited the room and sighed. At least something good came out of all of this. Finally Bernadetta was seeing sense and that meant that she would finally do her training with the others. There was only so much progress she could make on her own before she hit a ceiling.

But she then looked to the Church and hummed in thought. “It’s probably wise to report to the Archbishop on what happened. No doubt she heard of what happened. But why does the air feel… strange around here?”

* * *

  
  


“I am glad to see you returned safely, my child. I heard of your endeavours. It seems I was right to entrust you with the sword. You have mastered it.” Rhea began after Byleth walked in. She looked down and closed her eyes and shook her head. “Though unfortunately, it appears that the Goddess wasn’t as kind to General Holst. It’s truly a tragedy that he had been taken from us.”

She then sighed and clasped her hands. “But we must press on. I only hope his soul finds peace. The Alliance will be handling this investigation, though I imagine you will be called into questioning when time passes. But, I have a new task for you-“

“Lady Rhea- Archbishop!”

The doors swung open as Seteth came rushing in, with sweat pouring down his face and with the look of a madman on his face.

It unnerved the two women to see him like this and Rhea asked what was troubling him with a concerned look.

“Flayn is missing! I cannot find her anywhere!” Seteth exclaimed which shocked Byleth when he turned towards her.

“Miss Byleth, have you seen Flayn recently?”

Byleth shook her head, worried about this new development. “I’m sorry, but no. I just arrived back this morning, I haven’t seen her anywhere.”

“I have searched everywhere for her! Oh, where in the world could she be?” Seteth was now panicking as various scenarios ran through his mind. “She could be in danger! Or worse! Oh no… oh, what am I going to do?!”

“Calm yourself, Seteth.” Rhea said with a firm tone in her voice, before turning to Byleth. “I believe your task has just changed. I would ask you to give us some time to gather evidence before returning. With this revelation and the greenhouse being destroyed, I fear it is not a mere coincidence. I will call on you when the time comes.”

Byleth slowly nodded and left the room, trying to ignore Seteth’s panicked ramblings as Sothis appeared, rubbing her chin.

‘ _Who was Flayn again… oh yes! Seteth’s little sister! Such a spry young girl, yet… I sense something familiar about her._ ’

“She is also the one with the unstable Ki.” Byleth replied, walking to her room with an uneasy look in her eyes. “If she has truly gone missing, then we might have a problem if she snaps. We need to find her. And fast.”

‘ _I agree. I just hope the poor girl is okay…_ ’

“Never a quiet day…”

‘ _Indeed…_ ’

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so with that, we are finally done with the Legion arc. Next chapter will be on the Death Knight and looking for Flayn.
> 
> So yeah, quite a plot heavy chapter in my opinion. For those who are worried that Hilda is just gonna move on, don’t worry. This isn’t the last time we’ll be seeing of Hilda struggling mentally. But a cry is a good start for healing.
> 
> We also have Sothis starting to remember more about her past, as well as sharing the visions that Byleth gets from her future self. But it seems a certain villain is making his way into the future. I have plans for him too.
> 
> So, I managed to commission some art for this story! It’s done by the ever so lovely budgie_qm on Twitter, and we have art of Byleth in this story as well as Sothis and Chronoa sharing tea which I will provide links for in the description down below. I would show them here but I do not know hot to unfortunately. I’ll be looking for more artists to try and commission stuff, so if you guys know any artists that you like, feel free to suggest and I’ll check them out. I have an idea for my next commission involving a certain fish lady.
> 
> Yeah, so Flayn has a familiar power doesn’t she? My inspiration for Flayn having this power will be explored later on, but it ties into her dragon heritage. 
> 
> Surprise to nobody because I painted it so clear, Bernadetta is part of the Task Force. So that’s all the positions filled. Keep in mind, I chose these guys because of how well they performed in my runs. But there is one spot open for somebody else.
> 
> And for people asking for the Ashen Wolves, they’ll come in later. Do not worry.
> 
> Seriously, it means a lot guys that you take the time to read this. And the reviews are helpful too. I have so many plans for Byleth that reaches far beyond just this story.
> 
> But please, join me for next chapter where we will be going into the next arc with a nice twist. See you guys then!
> 
> Saiyan Byleth: https :// twitter. com/budgie_qm/status/1348263929638645761?s=21
> 
> Sothis and Chronoa: https ://twitter. com/budgie_qm/status/1355044142020087810?s=21


	22. Chapter 22

Part 1: White Clouds

Garreg Mach: Noire

"Thank you for coming in." Rhea said, having a much more serious look to her face than usual, which wasn't surprising, given the circumstances. "As I'm sure you are aware, Seteth's younger sister, Flayn, has gone missing. At present, all we know for certain is that she has not left Garreg Mach."

"Flayn is not the type of person to just wander off on her own without telling me where she is going!" Seteth exclaimed, trying to keep his composure but failing. "We have searched the Monastery thoroughly, but have found nothing. I am now mobilising the knights to begin searching the town."

Seteth took in a deep breath to calm himself down and continued to address Byleth. "Troubling rumours have been running rampant lately. I do not wish to assume the worst, but…"

"What troubling rumours?" Byleth asked, tilting her head in thought. This was the first she was hearing about this. Rhea continued on for Seteth and explained.

"There are rumours of someone prowling the streets and attacking innocents, night after night. The knights have investigated the matter. They have not discovered any remains, nor have they found any concrete evidence."

"The people are panicked!" Seteth continued on. "They all insist the Death Knight is coming to claim their souls with his blade! There is no way she could've escaped without harm done to her or to others! Where is she?!"

"Seteth, recall that impatience begets error." Rhea reminded him. "Please do your best to calm yourself. I think of your… sister as family too. You know that."

Byleth noticed the way Rhea caught herself before saying sister. Like she was going to say something else.

"You have my support. We will devote ourselves fully. Mind, body and soul to recovering her."

She then turned to Byleth and nodded to her. "Byleth, your mission for this month is to help find Flayn. The knights have the town covered, so I ask that you focus your efforts on searching the Monastery again. We do not have time to waste. You have your orders."

Byleth nodded in response and was about to leave when Seteth stopped her and handed her a notepad. "Be sure to write down everything you see and anything you hear from witnesses. It'll be easier when all your information is in one place. I suggest investigating the greenhouse. That's where we found signs of an attack."

"Of course. I will get her back."

She then left the room and placed the notepad in her pocket before remembering she needed something to write with. She could use a quill but that was too messy with the ink. A pencil could do. Perhaps it was best to inform her father and Shamir on the matter as well. They lead Task Force 141 just as much as she did.

When she got to his office, she found the two already there as Jeralt rubbed his face. "I'm assuming you were told of what happened? It's a bizarre change of events, that's for sure."

"I don't know much about Flayn." Shamir said, drinking more tea. Sometimes Byleth wondered if she spiked it with something to keep her going throughout the day. "But what I do know is that she never leaves her brothers side. It's strange to hear how she could go missing."

"What did they tell you?" Jeralt asked, watching Byleth take a pencil off of his desk.

"To investigate the greenhouse."

"Good call. There's evidence of a struggle there. If Flayn really was taken, she didn't go down without a fight." Jeralt said, nodding to himself. "We will ask any witnesses and possible suspects. You survey the scene of the crime."

"Got it, dad."

* * *

Byleth was walking towards the greenhouse and used her tail to get the pencil out of her pocket and grabbed her notepad.

Already, she saw guards standing outside of the greenhouse and from where she was standing, saw damage done to it. It was a shame, it would take a while to fully repair it and get the broken glass out of the greenhouse.

"Halt! State your business!" One guard shouted once he saw Byleth approach them.

"I am Byleth Eisner, I was granted access to this crime scene by the Archbishop."

The guard looked at her tail holding the pencil and nodded, seeing how she fitted the description and moved out of the way. "Very well. If you find anything, put it back where you found it and inform us."

"Of course."

Byleth walked in and gasped at the damage that had occurred. The greenhouse was a mess! The windows were all broken, a bunch of flowers and vegetable patches were trampled. All that work to make it flourish and then this happened. Sothis was now beside her and folded her arms while floating in place.

' _Where should we start? I propose we begin with the windows, because I noticed something.'_

"What did you notice?" Byleth asked, scribbling down notes.

' _Isn't it strange how all the windows are shattered yet there's hardly any glass inside?_ '

That was true. When Byleth took a proper look around, she noticed there was a very minuscule amount of glass. She quickly turned and looked outside of the greenhouse to find a lot of glass shards.

"So… the windows shattered from the inside. Do you have any theories?"

' _Hmmm…. Not yet. But it is best we keep looking. It's too early to draw conclusions.'_

"Yes, I believe you're right." Byleth muttered ignoring the strange looks from the guards who were wondering who she was talking to.

Back inside the greenhouse, Byleth looked around and noticed something beside a flower bed. It looked like strands of hair and she knelt down to inspect it.

"This is Flayn's hair. There's no doubting it. She must have been attacked in the greenhouse. Is it possible the Death Knight found her here?"

' _Hmmm… oh! Byleth, over there! I see something!_ '

Byleth turned around and in the patches of soil saw chunks of metal just resting on top of the dirt and kneeled down, picking it up and inspecting it from every angle.

' _Curious._ ' Sothis mumbled. ' _I've never seen metal like this before. But more importantly, what is it doing here?_ '

"I recognise the material." Byleth stated narrowing her eyes at the black metal before her. "It's very similar to what the Death Knight has on his armour."

' _So we now know that the Death Knight was here? And he attacked Flayn? That's some questions answered, but one more has come out of this. Why are pieces of his armour here?_ '

Byleth closed her eyes and frowned in deep thought. "There was evidence a fight had taken place here. But is Flayn strong enough to break his armour?"

' _You did mention how much potential she has. Maybe she got too unstable when fighting?_ '

"It's possible. But then again, if my theory on her unstable Ki is true, then I should've sensed it from when I was returning. Either she got her powers under control or she was knocked out after that surprise attack. Though I wonder how they managed to do it. Pieces of the puzzle are falling in place, but we're nowhere near the finish line just yet."

' _Hmmm… could the Death Knight have managed to knock her out? While that is a plausible theory, I think it would be more of a mess in here if he had to fight her one on one. Keep looking for something else, there has to be other traces of evidence in here."_

But they were running out of places to look. After all, the greenhouse wasn't that big of a place to even fight in. So it couldn't have been a serious fight because there would have been more damage. "Perhaps we should try looking in the flowers and bushes? If we found pieces of the armour in there, we might be able to find more."

' _Excellent idea._ ' Sothis nodded to herself and floated away from Byleth to investigate. ' _I'll look over here. See if I can find anything out of the blue. You know… this is actually kind of fun, putting the circumstances aside._ '

"What do you mean?" Byleth asked while carefully looking in the flower beds as Sothis continued.

' _It's like those crime books you like to read from time to time, you know? Where we analyse clues to try and find the culprit, only this time we're tracking a kidnapper._ '

The Mercenary chuckled to herself and nodded. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Taking notes just adds to the experience, doesn't it?"

But then she noticed something out the corner of her eye hidden deep inside a bush as she reached in and pulled it out. "Sothis, over here. I found something."

The spirit slowly floated towards her and looked at the object in Byleth's hand. ' _A syringe? Is there anything in it?_ '

Byleth examined it as best as she could, but aside from a few drips that came out the needle, there was nothing. "This may play into how they kidnapped Flayn. Maybe they drugged her so she couldn't struggle."

Sothis rubbed her chin in thought and nodded to herself. ' _This seems like the most plausible theory. Especially if she's strong enough to break the Death Knight's armour like that. It's best to knock her out. But from what we saw of the Death Knight back at the Holy Mausoleum, this seems very unlike him. He wouldn't drug his victims, would he?_ '

"Hmmm… regardless, I think we have enough evidence to support the theory we have been going along with. But we should probably gather evidence from any witnesses to see what we can get. It will help to get outside information."

' _Right!_ '

Byleth walked out of the greenhouse and tapped her chin with her pencil and wondered who she could ask. And that's when she had a great idea. She just hoped that it paid off.

* * *

"Greetings Miss Byleth! Nothing to report!"

Ah, there was that voice that she needed. Byleth always appreciated the insight that the Gatekeeper gave. Especially when she was clueless most days. That's when he knocked on his helmet and smiled. "Ah, silly me, I'm so used to reporting nothing, that I forgot that there IS something! Seteth's little sister, Flayn has gone missing! Very strange to hear as nobody saw her being taken away in the middle of the night!"

Byleth kept her smile on and looked at her notepad. "Do you have any idea on who could give me a clue on what happened?"

The Gatekeeper hummed in thought before brightening up immediately and nodding. "Yes! You should try going to the Cathedral. There is a nun called Beth that claims to have heard of something that could've lead to young Flayn being out on her own. I would also suggest asking the students if they know anything. They like to avoid curfew, and so they may know where to look. Oh, and perhaps the local merchant Anna could help you. She usually has an eye everywhere."

"Great. Thank you very much Gatekeeper."

"All in a days work, Miss Byleth!" The Gatekeeper saluted with a bright smile as Byleth turned away and went to the Cathedral. Sothis was still next to her and smiled.

' _He's nice. Never seen someone so happy with their job._ '

"I can always count on him for advice. Now he mentioned a nun named Beth… oh goodness, I should've asked for a description."

But it seemed like fate was on her side today, as someone came walking up to her and bowed. "You are… Byleth Eisner? The one who's investigating what happened with little Flayn?"

"I am." Byleth nodded. "I'm assuming that you are Beth?"

"Correct. I have information that could maybe help with the case."

Byleth slowly pulled out the notepad and decided to ask the obvious question. "Where were you at the time Flayn went missing?"

"Well, I was finishing up my chores for the day, admittedly it took a little longer than what was necessary." Beth explained with a nervous laugh. "But on my way to dispose of the dirty water I was using to clean the floors, I heard shouting from Seteth's office."

"Shouting? Was he fighting with Flayn?" Byleth asked and Beth slowly turned, trying to hide her face.

"I'm not too sure… anybody could've been at his office at that time. I shouldn't have mentioned it…"

She was lying. Byleth could tell from the way her expression and body language changed. Perhaps Beth was trying to protect the image of Seteth. Either way, it wouldn't do her any good by lying. "I shouldn't have to explain the severity of the situation at hand. I would advise to be truthful with me if we are to get to the bottom of Flayn's disappearance."

Beth froze before sighing. "Yes, you're right… my apologies. Yes, he and Flayn were having a big argument that day. I couldn't hear the exact conversation I'm afraid, but a couple of minutes later, Flayn stormed out of his office with the angriest look I've ever seen on her. It felt like the room was shaking with her presence. I'm afraid that's all I know."

"Thank you Beth. You've helped out a lot with this information. I'll let you get back to your duties." Byleth replied and watched Beth now before walking away. Sothis then appeared next to Byleth and rubbed her chin.

' _Interesting… so it seems there was a little tension that night. So we now know what could've prompted her to go outside by herself. But why did they fight in the first place?_ '

But before Byleth could respond, the two heard voices from behind and turned around to see Annette and Mercedes approaching. Annette was wearing her normal school outfit, but Byleth could see she was wearing her weighted clothing underneath too. Good. They were keeping up their training.

"Professor! We heard about what happened!" Annette exclaimed and shook her head. "Poor Flayn… oh! But we also heard you are being a detective for the day and might need some help! Everyone is in on it!"

"Thank you Annette." Byleth smiled in return. "And yes, help would be appreciated. But who is this with the two of you?"

"Oh, this young man has some information about Flayn that could possibly help." Mercedes replied as the student looked around nervously.

"Y-Yes… well, I hung out with Flayn last week. Very nice girl, although she's a little strange at times. But then the day after that, Seteth approached me with the scariest look in his eyes!"

"Scary look?" Byleth asked, scribbling down notes as the student nodded.

"Yes. He was asking me all these weird questions, such as would I kill myself to keep Flayn safe, or would I do anything to harm her? I was so scared that I stopped hanging out with her, and then SHE looked scary…"

"Seteth does seem very protective of her…" Annette mumbled. "Almost to a disturbing degree."

But Byleth believed that she had all the information that she needed and smiled at the student. "Thank you, you've been a great help. You are excused."

"T-Thank you Miss Byleth! I hope you find her!"

The trio watched the boy run off as Byleth looked down at her notes to which Annette noticed. "Do you think that you have an idea on how she went missing?"

"I believe I do… but I better get more information just to have a concrete answer. I hope I can count on you all to help out."

"Of course you can Professor!" Annette exclaimed and went running off as Mercedes tried to warn her.

"Annie, watch out for that-"

CLUNK!

"…Wall…" Mercedes sighed and turned to Byleth and bowed. "I will make sure that she is alright. Good luck in the search!"

Byleth turned to Sothis who was in deep thought. ' _Curious… so we now have a reason why the fight occurred and what caused Flayn to storm out. Now the biggest question… how could the Death Knight have gotten inside? Do you think we should consult the merchant Anna?_ '

"Hmmm… let's report to Seteth with what we know first and then we could possibly see where we go from here."

' _Yes… that feels like the smart thing to do._ '

* * *

Seteth was at his desk in his office with his head in his hands trying to keep his thoughts rational. But no after what he did, he always went back to the worst case scenario and imagined poor Flayn gone from his sight, or even worse-

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

He jumped at the sound from his door but managed to collect himself and blew out a breath. "You may enter."

The door to his office opened and Byleth came walking in and Seteth immediately stood up. "Miss Byleth! I pray that you are here with good news?"

Byleth closed the door and looked at her notepad. "I went to the greenhouse just as you had told me. And I think I have a sound theory on what had happened. I saw that all the glass in the greenhouse had been shattered completely. But what was most interesting to me, was that it had been shattered from the inside."

Seteth managed to adopt his usual stern persona and nodded. "So it was a force from inside the greenhouse that broke it, I don't understand how this helps-"

"I wasn't finished."

He made a face but closed his eyes and nodded. "My apologies. Please continue."

Byleth nodded back and looked at her notes. "I looked further and saw that in a flower bed of Forget Me Nots was a few strands of green hair. Flayn's green hair."

She wasn't sure she could see Seteth get any more white but as if sensing his thoughts, she continued. "We didn't find any blood so it's safe to assume that she wasn't harmed or worse, murdered."

Seteth let out a long breath he didn't realise he was holding and leaned on his desk to support himself. "Anything else?"

Looking down at her notepad, Byleth recalled the syringe. "We found a syringe tossed into the bushes. Unfortunately, it's nothing that we can really use as it was mostly empty. But my theory is that it was a drug used on Flayn."

"As a way to get her out without too much of a ruckus." Seteth mumbled and scratched his beard. "Do you have a clue on who did it?"

"Yes… we found pieces of the Death Knight's armour. I recognise the metal. Shards of it were there from an attack."

Seteth just looked at Byleth who closed her notepad and took the pencil off her tail before speaking. "I have a theory at the moment. I spoke with witnesses and I have figured out what could've caused her to be out there by herself at night. Tell me, Seteth. Do you remember the fight that you and Flayn had?"

Byleth saw him freeze in place at the mention of that and tugged on his collar. "I… yes. She came to me, absolutely livid. Though the reason why, I am uncertain."

"I do. You were being too protective when she tried to make new friends."

"Did I? Oh yes, I remember now." Seteth nodded as a small smile made its way. "I was simply asking that young man if he was willing to protect Flayn in any way possible."

"…And you don't think that sounded outrageous?"

Now he had a look of confusion on his face as Sothis smacked her forehead, groaning in disbelief. That's when Byleth tried to explain.

"How would you feel if somebody asked you if you were going to lay your life down to protect someone that you only spoke to for a day?"

"Well… I would think that person is insane! That's absolutely ridiculous to even suggest such a notion! It's-"

His eyes widened as it all started to make sense now. But then his look changed to one of horror. "Oh gods… it's my fault! She went outside because of me! Oh, what have I done?!"

"While that certainly played a part into it, you shouldn't place the blame sorely on yourself." Byleth replied. "After all, it was the Death Knight who took her. But that's something else that bothered me… this was planned."

"Planned? How?" Seteth asked, trying to calm himself down as Byleth stared at him.

"They drugged her. And judging by the way the greenhouse was destroyed, she snapped. Something they knew would happen so they had to knock her out so they could take her away. Seteth, this was no coincidence."

Seteth was tapping his desk in frustration as he knew Byleth was one hundred percent correct. "So the Death Knight took her… but how did he even get inside? The guards would've noticed him, and there's no casualties anywhere."

"That's what I came to ask you. Is there anything out of the ordinary today?"

Byleth waited as Seteth thought to himself, before a look of realisation crossed his face. "Now that you mention it, something strange did happen. Neither Jeritza nor Professor Manuela attended today's meeting. Normally, I would just chalk this down to their character flaws… but after today, it's too much to be called a coincidence."

"You think we have a traitor in our ranks?"

"It's possible…" Seteth mumbled but then shook his head. "I want you to continue investigating. If you even hear anything regarding Flayn or the Death Knight, you come to me immediately. I just pray that nobody gets hurt."

"Understood. I shall take my leave."

* * *

  
"Hey, kid. I see that you've been busy. Seems you got better luck than Shamir and I." Jeralt said, as Byleth exited the office. But then he saw the serious look on her face. "What's up?"

"We may have the identity the Death Knight. Manuela and Jeritza."

His face hardened as he looked towards his office. "Let's discuss this further-"

"Now hold on just a minute!"

Both turned to see Hanneman walking over with an offended look on his face. "Surely you're not suggesting that Manuela is the Death Knight, are you? Preposterous!"

"Maybe we should discuss this in private? Professor?" Jeralt growled at his colleague who blinked and realised where exactly they were.

"Ah yes, quite right. Lead the way!"

All three entered Jeralt's office to see Shamir leaning on the table, almost like she never left that spot. Before anybody could talk, she spoke.

"These walls aren't sound proof. I could hear your conversation and who exactly we have as suspects for the Death Knight."

Jeralt nodded while uncorking his hip flask and taking a swig before sighing. "To be honest, I did find it strange how they didn't show up for the meeting today."

"But we know why Manuela didn't show up!" Hanneman exclaimed. "She's a drunk! She obviously slept in with a bad hangover!"

"Hanneman, we have a missing person on our hands because of this Death Knight." Shamir said sharply. "This is not the time to be playing favourites. Both of them are a suspect."

"But I know it's not true!" Hanneman yelled back. "It just doesn't make any sense! She's a Professor for the Blue Lions, how would she have the time to be doing those deeds?"

Jeralt hummed in thought and closed his eyes. "He's got a point… but regardless, we should question both her and Jeritza to see if we can find anything."

Suddenly, they all heard frantic banging from the door and Byleth went to open it and saw three students standing there. Ingrid, Casper and Ignatz were still there with looks of alarm as they tried pulling Byleth out.

"You gotta come quick! We heard screams coming from Jeritza's room!" Caspar yelled, tugging on Byleth's arm as Jeralt slowly looked to his daughter and nodded.

"Seems that we don't have to find them after all." Jeralt said as Byleth turned to the adults in the room.

"Gather the Task Force. We must be prepared. I'll go with the others and meet you there."

"Got it."

* * *

"Three! Two! One! Go!"

The door smashed open as Byleth stormed in, sword in hand and looked around. It was dark, and she couldn't really see much around her. With the rest of the Task Force filing in.

"It doesn't look like anybody is in-" Hilda started to say before gasping loudly. "Professor Manuela!"

Everybody now saw her sprawled out on the floor as the House Leaders checked to see if she was okay.

"Is she injured?" Byleth asked, and Claude had a grimace on his face when he noticed a stab wound.

"She was attacked. But she's unconscious so that's a good sign at least."

But that's when Dimitri noticed that her hand was pointing somewhere… and he followed the direction and gasped at what he saw.

"Everyone! Look over there!"

The group all turned to where Dimitri was looking saw an entrance to somewhere.

"Some kind of secret passage behind that shelf?" Edelgard muttered.

"I knew that Jeritza was up to no good!" Hanneman yelled when he walked in, and his eyes widened when he saw Manuela on the ground. "What in the world happened?!"

"We know just as much as you do." Edelgard replied and then she noticed the wound too. "She needs medical assistance."

"Y-Yes, of course! You three, please help out." He said, looking to Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude.

"Understood." Edelgard nodded. "I'll support her head."

"I have her arms." Dimitri chimed in.

That's when Claude looked to Byleth while getting her legs. "Try to hold down the fort for us until we get back, okay? Right, so let's take it easy…"

Jeralt watched them carry Manuela away and sighed before looking at the passageway. "So this more or less confirms that Jeritza is the Death Knight."

"Indeed." Shamir grunted. "Does that mean he was the one that kidnapped Flayn? If so, perhaps she's down there too."

Byleth nodded and held out her sword before taking the lead. "Be ready for anything. We don't know what we're dealing with."

But before the Task Force could go forward, a voice sounded from behind. "W-W-W-Wait!"

They all turned to see Bernadetta at the entrance, panting as if she ran all the way here. "Let me join you!"

The students all looked at each other, before Leonie spoke up. "You should probably leave this to us Bernadetta. It could be too dangerous-"

"She can come with us."

They all looked to Byleth who wore a smile on her face , and Bernadetta gave a small smile back. "As long as you're sure."

"Can't stay in my room all the time, can I? As much as I want to…"

Shamir and Jeralt looked at each other with smirks and the rest were just confused. Why were they letting her go with them? But Byleth just carried on as if nothing happened.

"Whatever weapons you need, form them now."

Everyone nodded as a variety of Ki weapons took form with swords, lances and magic Ki balls. But to everyone's shock, Bernadetta formed a small ball of Ki on her fingertips. And that's when everyone realised.

"You know how to use Ki?! Since when?!" Caspar yelled which made the shy girl jump in fright as the Ki on her finger disappeared.

"I-I'm sorry! I should've told you! Please don't kill me!"

"Bernie, nobody is killing anybody." Byleth said and got everyone's attention. "Now stay focused. Let's investigate."

"Right!"

* * *

  
“Thank goodness she will be okay." Dimitri sighed as he and his fellow House Leaders exited the medical bay after getting Manuela inside. Hanneman had run off to try and get the Knights of Seiros for backup. There were currently some keeping watch over Manuela. "I'm not sure that I could forgive myself if she perished."

"It's almost a relief though, that this is what we're dealing with." Claude said to himself and got a bewildered look from Dimitri and the tanned man just raised his hands.

"Look, you weren't there at the Alliance! Shit got real! We almost died! I was out cold for three days straight! Compared to this, it's like a picnic."

"But still, you can't make light of this situation! My Professor got hurt!"

"She's still breathing, isn't she?"

Edelgard rubbed her eyes and groaned at the two bickering like this. Though something else was also on her mind. Jeritza. She wasn't sure whether this was him doing it on purpose or he was being sloppy. Regardless, everybody now knew his identity. It was probably time for her to get her Flame Emperor disguise on and try and reel him in. She went to turn to the two boys and smiled.

"I will see if I can find Seteth and inform him of what is happening-"

SHINK!

She gasped when she found a blade… made of Ki pressed against her throat and looked behind her to see a Knight of Seiros… wearing a Scouter.

Claude and Dimitri were in the same predicament with the same imposters having blades to their throats as Claude gulped.

"Uh oh. We were careless… this is bad."

But Edelgard was at a loss for words as her hands were now being tied behind her back.

What the hell were they playing at?

* * *

"It's quite dark down here." Byleth muttered, holding a torch in front of her, seeing the fire light the way before noticing somebody VERY close to her. Two to be exact.

"Ashe. Lysithea. Why are you all the way over here?"

Both blinked as they realised they had been caught as Ashe cleared his throat. "Perhaps we could give you… cover from both sides?"

"Y-Yeah!" Lysithea agreed. But then a loud noise echoed throughout the area causing both to scream loudly and cling to Byleth who just sighed.

"Guys… it's only a rock falling down the steps."

"…Right, I knew that." Lysithea muttered, immediately pulling away and blushing. Soon, they all got to the bottom of the stairs and Shamir's eyes widened at what she saw.

"I see someone!"

And it was revealed to be Flayn who laid there, completely still. Byleth watched as Caspar ran over and inspected her. "Is she dead?"

He placed his ear to her chest and shook his head. "No, she's still alive. Must just be out cold. Hey! There's somebody else here too!"

"What? Another victim?" Jeralt grunted, looking over the other girl who he definitely did not recognise as Shamir picked up Flayn bridal style before turning to Byleth.

"Jeralt and I will get these two out of here. Try and find where Jeritza has gone."

"Got it. Please let me know how Manuela is doing too."

Shamir nodded as Jeralt picked up the girl before looking at his daughter. "Don't do anything stupid, kid. Remember, we're underground so watch where you and the brats are with your Ki attacks. One false move and you could have it all crumble around you."

Byleth understood what he meant and watched him go back upstairs with Shamir and motioned for the students to follow her. But that's when Petra grabbed her arm and prevented her from going any further.

"I am sensing a foe approaching. We should do caution wisely."

The clunking sounds of armour echoed throughout the hallways as the person was revealed to be the Death Knight himself. Byleth quickly drew her sword and stared him down with everyone following suit. But she noticed something different. Parts of his armour were broken. Just like the pieces in the greenhouse before. So it looked like all the evidence proved to be correct.

Caspar's eyes widened as he balled his fists in anger. "Hey, I recognise him! It's that jerk that we fought at the Mausoleum!"

"That I fought." Lysithea retorted, still glaring at the Death Knight. "You, on the other hand, were too busy punching mages."

"Hey, come on, we're a team!"

But that's when the Death Knight spoke, looking at the weapon in Byleth's hand, before looking right into her eyes.

" **That sword… you must be…"**

He then gripped his scythe and glared at her from behind his helmet. **"One of us will die, the other will live. I will enjoy this dance of damnation."**

"Reel yourself in Death Knight. It is not time yet."

The Death Knight just at the voice behind him. It was Hubert who stood there with his hands behind his back. Caspar's eyes widened as he tried to charge at him but was stopped by Byleth.

"Come to show your face again, traitor?! You're lucky I'm being held back! Why show up again after you tried to kill Edelgard?!"

"What I do is too much for a simpleton like you to understand." Hubert replied before turning to Byleth.

"Greetings Miss Byleth. It seems you have figured out what has happened."

"…Why kidnap Flayn? Is it because of the power she wields?"

The students were all confused in what Byleth meant by that. But Hubert just shook his head. "While it would be beneficial for us to use her power for ourselves, that is not the case. We planned all of this to simply lure YOU down here."

Byleth's eyes widened at that statement, but then suddenly it all started clicking together. Why they didn't bother discarding evidence, why it felt so sloppy. It was deliberate.

"But of course, it wasn't supposed to be this early. You can thank Professor Manuela for that." Hubert continued. "She forced us to act now. But now for the reason why we brought you down here. You are to come with us."

"Like hell she's going with you!" Caspar yelled and tried to charge again but was sharply pushed back.

"Caspar, enough." Byleth firmly said and looked back at Hubert once more. "You know the power we have. Why exactly should I go with you and not just cut your head off immediately?"

" **I am growing tired of these games."** The Death Knight growled but Hubert just looked at him.

"You'll get your fight soon. But back to the obvious. You are correct Miss Byleth. You are far more powerful than I. But what I lack in strength…"

That's when they all noticed glowing symbols beneath them and Byleth turned to the students and yelled.

"GET BACK!"

They barely managed to escape as the symbols detonated and created explosions as Hubert smirked.

"…I more than make up for in technique." As he clicked his fingers and they found themselves surrounded by mages teleporting in, all wearing Scouters. Caspar roared and charged at Hubert ready to punch him as Byleth reached out her hand.

"CASPAR, NO!"

"DIE!" Caspar yelled as he swung his fist towards Hubert… only to punch thin air as the pale boy just teleported away.

"You really think I'm just going to stand there? You really are simple."

Caspar then dodged a fire spell that tried to hit him while his back was turned, and that's when it all started kicking off as the students all fought off the mages with Byleth staring down Hubert and the Death Knight. But then she watched Hubert stand back and nod to the Death Knight who started glowing with Dark Ki.

' _Right… he has that. And he must've gotten more used to his power. This could be fun._ '

" **Come at me."**

Byleth nodded and charged forward as both their weapons clashed with one another and the Death Knight aimed a hand at her face, about to kill her with a blast, but she ducked and used her own legs to take his out and make him fall to the ground. She then tried to stab him in the places where his armour was missing but a force pushed her back as she saw him getting back up.

' _He has gotten this strong already?_ '

" **This is good… more… show me more…"**

She gritted her teeth and charged an Ashen Blast before throwing it towards him but he just cleaved the attack in two as it exploded around him, shaking the area around everyone as Hubert shook his head.

"May I remind you where we are? You would do well to not use your Ki attacks, unless you wish to kill us all. You know you are at a disadvantage, so come with us and the others will be spared."

Byleth looked behind her and saw that the students were able to hold off the mages, but only barely. Seems they figured out that they couldn't use Ki attacks either as only Bernadetta, Ashe and Leonie were using them to take pot shots at the mages.

She then turned back to face Hubert as the Death Knight loomed over her, ready to strike. But then a voice sounded from behind everyone.

"Everyone stop fighting or these brats die!"

Her eyes widened when she saw three figures holding Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude to their knees with Ki blades against their throats. That caused everyone to freeze and immediately stop fighting.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Hubert yelled as Byleth noticed how… panicked he sounded. Was this part of their plan?

"Stupid boar… How did you get caught?" Felix growled. He couldn't rush in to save them.

"Claude!" Hilda screamed, and she gripped her axe tightly gritting her teeth as she stood in place.

"Oh no! They got Edelgard?!" Bernadetta whimpered as she realised just how dire their situation was.

That's when everything around Byleth turned dark and she turned to see Sothis on her throne, looking down on her, with her head resting on her hand.

' _ **Another situation we've gotten into.'**_

_**Byleth slowly turned to her and frowned. "What should I do?"** _

_**Sothis just hummed in response and shook her head. "You have Divine Pulses, and plentiful at that. But this is something only you can do by yourself. You could turn back time and try again and again. But we have both seen the cost of that. Twice. Really, you only have one option."** _

" _ **I understand." Byleth said, closing her eyes. "You're right. I just hope everything turns out okay.'**_

She was returned back to reality as she watched Dimitri try to escape but he was hit in the back of the head which left him dazed and back on his knees. Everyone's lives were at risk.

Leonie turned to Byleth with her lance still in hand. "Do we have a plan at all, Professor?"

But she was ignored, as Byleth looked at Hubert. "If I come with you, will you let them go?"

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled as Claude tried to sit up.

"Teach! What are you doing?!"

But before Hubert could answer, the mage holding Edelgard just smirked. "Oh, did he say he only needed you? Slight change of plans, we're taking these three as well."

"…What are you doing?" Hubert muttered as he glared at the mages. This wasn't the plan. They were only to retrieve Byleth, that's it.

"We have a change in orders. And so we will take her and the three before us. But we aren't savages. You come with us, and we let the others go back to their teachers with their tails between their legs."

Byleth glared at them, and then to Hubert. Seems there was a change that he wasn't aware of. Just what was happening? Why did they need them? So many questions but… there was no other option. So she slowly held out the Sword of the Creator… and let it slip from her hand and everyone watched it clatter to the ground.

"A wise choice." The mage holding down Claude muttered, and looked to Hubert. "Grab her shoulder, and do as you're told."

Hubert just growled at him but slowly gestured for Byleth to approach him as she turned to the rest.

"We will find a way out of this. I promise. Tell Jeralt and Shamir about what happened. Quickly."

"Professor, no!" Annette screamed as she tried running to her, but it was too late as Hubert teleported away with her in tow. And the three mages hoisted up the House Leaders and also teleported away, leaving just them and the Death Knight. But he just scoffed and turned away.

" **Waste of my time… I shall be back…"**

And like that, he and the rest of the mages teleported away, only leaving the student among themselves. And suddenly, they heard footsteps from behind them and turned to see Jeralt and Shamir with Alois and Catherine. But they were all confused and looked around before Jeralt looked at them... and to the Sword of the Creator laying on the ground.

"What happened?"

* * *

"Keep going! Move it!"

Byleth, Claude, Edelgard and Dimitri had their hands tied behind their backs as they were being lead somewhere down a dark hallway. They had no clue where they got teleported. And Edelgard whispered to the mage who had a hold of her.

"What the hell are you doing?" She harshly whispered but the mage just grinned and whispered in her ear.

"Oh, didn't you hear? Lord Thales wants you to have front row seats to the show."

She was about to ask what he meant by that but then suddenly, she heard a door opening and it was a large room, as she got thrown into it and grunted when she hit the ground hard and her bindings vanished from sight as the door locked.

She felt dread run through her. This felt too familiar with the cold walls, the claustrophobic spaces, the feeling of loneliness… though the others were inside with her as Claude dusted himself off and scoffed.

"Geez, they sure like to treat us like esteemed guests. But… where are we?"

They were in a large room, that had nothing in it at all. No furniture, no beds, nothing. Nothing except for a very thick glass ceiling that showed the orange sky that showcased the evening as the four heard a voice from the door as a slot opened up revealing a guard.

"Come tomorrow, you'll be cooked alive by the sun. Have fun living!" He laughed as he slammed the slot shut.

"Hey, you get back here!" Dimitri yelled and slammed his fists into the wall, only to find it did nothing to dent it and he stared at his gauntlets. Why did that do nothing? He looked towards his teacher and nodded. "We need to find a way out of here."

That's when Claude had a smile on his face as he reached into his boots.

"Well, it's a good job we decided to wear our regular clothes today, because I have my set of lockpicks! I'll have us out of here in no time!"

But when he went to the door, he was shocked to see… nothing. "Okay. Call me crazy, but I could've sworn there was a lock here. What is this place?"

"Hmm… I can't place where we are." Dimitri muttered while rubbing his chin. "The glass ceiling above us also doesn't provide any clues…"

Byleth was quiet, and placed a hand on the stone walls before her, and felt along it, sensing some powerful magic inside them. They wanted them to stay in here… but why? They were giving her and the others too much time to try and escape.

"Edelgard, do you have an idea on how to get out?"

No answer.

"Edelgard?"

She, Dimitri and Claude looked to see her in a corner, with her head buried in her legs and she was hugging herself. Edelgard was also shaking, and they realised what was happening. She was in the middle of a panic attack.

They all remembered the story of what she went through as a child. Obviously this was bringing up very bad memories of being captive. And so Byleth knelt down and slowly hugged Edelgard while whispering in her ear.

"Deep breathes Edelgard. You're not alone."

"I don't want this… I want to leave…"

"We will. But we must keep our senses together. Can you look at me?"

She slowly looked up and saw her Professor's calming blue eyes which managed to break her out of her spell of anxiety as she let loose a few shaky breathes before looking at Claude and Dimitri. "I apologise for that. Just…"

"You don't need to go into detail, Edelgard. We understand." Dimitri said with a small smile and she smiled back, nodding, before looking up at the glass ceiling.

"Let's just hope we can get out soon."

"Try and find a way. There has to be something here." Byleth said, and Claude looked around.

"I hope it doesn't take too long or we will be cooking tomorrow…"

* * *

"Ah, Hubert." Thales smiled, seeing him walk in to his room. "Impeccable timing as always. I wanted to say a job well done."

"Forgive me, 'Lord' Thales." Hubert said, really struggling to contain his anger. "But you said to only get Byleth, and that's it. Why the sudden change?"

"Would you believe me when I say I am a fan of theatrics at times? I suppose it's why I ket her keep that stupid outfit. But you do know what we are planning, yes?"

Hubert slowly nodded and looked out the window to see the slowly darkening sky. "You didn't answer my question. Why endanger her life? From what you told me, the power is too destructive."

"That it is, but I think it would be better enjoyed if she had an audience. And of course put fear in their hearts when they realise what their dear 'Professor' really is. Not to mention, Edelgard has gotten a little too sharp tongued for my liking, so consider this a punishment. That is, if she can get out of there alive."

"I won't let her he killed!" Hubert exclaimed but Thales gestured for him to follow.

"If she and her friends act quickly, then they won't. Now come, I want you to see for yourself."

* * *

"Captain Jeralt! Please see reason!" Alois yelled, trying to stop Jeralt who was on his way to look for his daughter. He sighed as he saw Alois blocking his way.

"Out of the way Alois."

"But Jeralt! We have no clue where they could be! Let's just send out search parties and-"

"I'm not waiting for a damn search party!"

Catherine and Shamir looked at each other, finding this change in behaviour to be… strange. Shamir walked forward to try and talk some sense into her friends father.

"I understand that you're worried about Byleth and the students. We all are. But we need to face facts that we can't just fly about hoping for a clue when we have no idea where to start."

"You lot don't understand!" Jeralt growled, punching the bridge of his nose. "We NEED to get her back NOW!"

"What is the meaning of all this ruckus?"

They all turned to see Seteth and Rhea approaching them as they saw just how different Seteth looked. He was more relaxed. No doubt he was beyond relieved to see Flayn returned safely as Catherine smiled.

"I assume she's okay now?"

"Yes… she's resting in her bed. She was drugged up to stay asleep so she couldn't fight back. I wish to give my thanks to Miss Byleth when she is found." Seteth replied, before looking at the Sword of the Creator which was wrapped in cloth and leaning on the wall in Jeralt's room so nobody could get hurt like Leonie when touching it.

"Yes… why the urgency Jeralt?" Rhea asked, feeling confused on why he seemed so panicked. "We are all worried but it would be wise to wait for the search parties to gather clues on where they are."

Jeralt just stared at Rhea and shook his head. "So, Sitri never told you, huh?"

A sudden chill ran through the air as Rhea narrowed her eyes at Jeralt. "What exactly… didn't she tell me? What do you know?"

But he just ignored her and adjusted his armour while Seteth tried to reach out to him. "Jeralt, cease this madness! We can wait-"

"Seteth. You and the three in this room will accompany Jeralt in his search."

Everyone except Jeralt stared at Rhea in shock as she looked at him with a serious expression.

"If what he says is true, then we cannot afford to wait. But I must ask, why exactly do we have to find her now?"

Jeralt stared at everybody before letting out a long sigh. "The full moon is out tonight."

Now, for most of the people in the room, they were just confused. What does the moon have to do with anything? But Seteth was frozen in place as he remembered the first conversation he ever had with Jeralt.

* * *

" _Trust me." Jeralt said, staring at Seteth as they were in his office speaking for the first time. "No matter what. She must never look at the full moon. Or it'll end badly for all of us."_

* * *

"I will go with you." Seteth sharply said and that's when everyone realised how serious the situation is. But they still had questions as Seteth turned to Rhea.

"Would you please take care of Flayn while I'm gone?"

Rhea clasped her hands together and smiled at him. "As if she were one of my own."

"Good. Then let's get going. Night is fast approaching." Jeralt said, turning to the exit as Seteth, Catherine, Shamir and Alois followed him.

Shamir just looked at him and decided to ask the obvious. "What's so important about the full moon?"

As they all left, Rhea stared up at the darkening sky and frowned deeply. ' _Sitri… just how much did you hide from me?_ '

"…How much do you know about the Moon Beast?"

* * *

"It doesn't make sense."

Everyone looked at Byleth who was sitting cross legged on the floor and she continued. "What would they have to gain by killing you three? I can understand ending my life, but the three of you are deeply rooted in your respective lands. Your death's would install panic and chaos across Fódlan."

"You are right. It wouldn't make sense to kill all of us right here, right now." Dimitri hummed, as he was pacing back and forth.

"Not to mention that this is completely out of the ordinary from we've experienced so far." Claude continued, looking at Byleth. "Every other time, they've manipulated from behind the scenes, yet now they would do something so bold? I don't buy it. They're planning something, I just don't know what."

Edelgard was silent as she was sat on the floor with her back against the wall as she looked up at the sky. "I suppose if there's any bright side to all of this, we have a perfect view of the moon. I find an odd sense of comfort when I look at it."

"This isn't good. We should be asleep soon, or else the Moon Beast will be out and about." Byleth said as the three looked at her strangely.

"Professor, I never took you to believe in stories like that." Edelgard remarked as Byleth just looked back with a serious expression.

"It's not a story. I was there when it appeared. It destroyed Remire Village and trampled all the crops!"

"Woah, seriously?!" Claude's eyes widened. He had heard of this Moon Beast, but like his two friends, didn't really believe in it. But Byleth had no reason to lie. "What did it look like?"

"I'm… not sure. I was asleep."

The three teenagers looked at each other and Dimitri spoke. "Forgive me Professor, but how exactly do you sleep through a giant beast destroying everything?"

"I have no idea." Byleth replied. "All I remember is that the next morning I was naked and that my dad warned me to never look at the full moon."

The students eyes widened at what they heard and slowly backed away but found their backs hit the stone wall behind them. Byleth was just oblivious to the whole thing as she continued to speak.

"Of course, that didn't have anything to do with the beast. Dad just always said these strange things and-"

She blinked when he realised Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri were as far away as possible as she stood up. "Is… everything okay?"

The three of them didn't know what it was… but they realised their hands were trembling and that sweat was running down their brows. This was fear. But why? It was just a coincidence… right?

"N-Nothing Professor!" Dimitri stammered as Edelgard swallowed a lump in her throat.

"P-Professor? Can I ask you a question?" Edelgard asked and they all noticed Byleth's tail being a lot more active by swinging about with the full moon shining down on her.

"Of course. What is it?"

"T-That night that the village was destroyed. Did you… happen to look at the full moon?"

Byleth frowned at that question but rubbed her chin in thought. "I… think so. Just before I fell asleep. Why?"

Claude backed up more as he let out a nervous laugh and looked at his friends. "I'm feeling a little nervous…"

"I knew the Professor was different from us, but…" Dimitri started to say but trailed off as they kept an eye on her tail.

"How… do we find out for sure?" Edelgard asked.

Byleth just tilted her head and looked concerned. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I guess… she could look at the moon… then we wouldn't have doubts… right?" Claude said, looking at his shaking hands.

"That sounds fair… but…"

"What if she really is…"

Dimitri and Edelgard looked at each other and all three came to the same conclusion. It was best not to chance it. Better safe than sorry.

"Professor, whatever you do, do not look at the full moon!" Edelgard exclaimed. "It's right above you!"

Confused, Byleth turned and looked up, directly at the moon which caused the students to freeze in fear at what she just did. But she just kept looking at it before turning back to the trio and smiled. "Why shouldn't I look at it?"

They all breathed a loud sigh of relief and Claude wiped the sweat from his brow. "Thank goodness."

"I knew it was just a coincidence." Edelgard laughed and the two turned to Dimitri… only to find he was still staring at Byleth… scared out of his mind as he gulped. Confused, they both looked at her… and their blood ran cold.

Byleth was just standing there. Looking in their direction. But she had a vacant look in her eyes… which were no longer their calm sapphire blue that they were used to. Instead, they were an empty and hollow pink as she started to twitch in place as Claude looked around.

"I would suggest that we run, but I don't know where!"

"Professor, stop it!" Edelgard yelled, shaking in fear. "This isn't funny!"

"I don't think she's joking around!"

And slowly, Byleths face changed into a snarl as her eyes were now blood red, her teeth were getting sharper with fangs growing out as they all looked in horror at their Professor changing. She got bigger and bigger, as her steel bracers groaned and creaked from the growing pressure before they snapped off from Byleth's arms as they couldn't take the strain anymore. Her clothes started to tear too as her hair was now changing from the usual blue to a dark brown.

"N-No way…" Edelgard choked out.

"This isn't real…." Dimitri stammered.

"No, it really is!" Claude yelled, watching their Professor, the one who was usually so calm and stoic, transform before them. Her face contorting and growing to form a snout and her body getting larger and larger before pressing hard against the glass ceiling above them, with it cracking as it couldn't take the pressure of the growing form. All the three could do was stare in total fear and scream.

* * *

"I still think he is either lying, or he's crazy." Catherine stated, while checking through the bushes to find anything at all with Alois who just looked at her.

"Captain- I mean, Professor Jeralt wouldn't lie!"

"Hm. Crazy then, got it." She then turned around and looked at Alois. "What really concerns me though, is that you believe him. Actually, come to think of it, whenever anything about Byleth comes up, you don't bat an eye."

"Catherine, I should advise that you understand who exactly you're speaking to."

"I understand plenty, Captain. But what I do not like is when people hide things from me. And I feel like you know more about Byleth than you are letting on."

Alois and Catherine stared at each other in what seemed like an eternity before he sighed. "I am telling the truth when I say I don't know much about Byleth. However, it's WHAT she is that I know more about."

"What she is? I don't-"

They were interrupted when Jeralt, Shamir and Seteth all came touching onto the ground, with Seteth getting off his wyvern and sighed. "Nothing."

"Normally we would sense them, but they have some weird magic laying about." Shamir commented, folding her arms. "We know they're around this area, but it's like their Ki is scrambled. Needless to say, they planned this."

"Well, I think I should be the one to say that we end our search here."

Catherine said, shaking her head. "We aren't going to get anywhere if we keep on running about like headless chicken. It's like you said, we have the general area, so why not rest for the night and then come back tomorrow with a fresh take on it?"

Seteth looked up at the full moon and made a face. "While this is a very serious gamble… if what Sir Jeralt told us is true, then we can't afford to stand by and wait. Especially since the full moon will be around for an additional two days. The longer she is out there, the bigger the chance…"

"Okay look." Catherine said, holding Thunderbrand by her side and staring at Jeralt. "I can suspend my belief for a number of things. Your kid has a tail? Sure, why not? She, Shamir, as well as yourself can use your own life force as a weapon? That makes sense. After all, everyone can use magic to some degree!"

"Catherine-" Shamir tried to say as her comrade walked up to Jeralt.

"But now you're trying to tell me your daughter can turn into a giant monkey if she looks at the full moon?! Forgive me, but doesn't anyone else see that this is completely insane?"

"Look, you don't want to believe me? Fine." Jeralt said, and turned away. "But I'm gonna keep looking for her before she-"

He then froze in place as Alois noticed how he and Shamir had this frozen look of fear on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"W-What the hell am I sensing?" Shamir whispered as her head was throbbing in pain. Seteth was confused until his eyes widened at the connection. The power she was sensing, the moon, what Jeralt told them.

"You don't mean…"

Jeralt gritted his teeth and looked ahead. "We're too late."

As if on cue, the ground beneath them started shaking and in the distance, saw something erupt out of a mountain. A giant beast came out of the crumbling mountain, roaring and jumping down to the ground below. It's shadow loomed over the adults as they could only stare in complete disbelief. Catherine's weapon long forgotten on the ground as she took a step back.

"I don't believe it…"

"THAT'S Byleth?!" Shamir yelled, unable to take her eyes off the mighty beast who roared into the sky as Jeralt just closed his eyes and clenched his fist.

"It's something she got from her mother's side. The Oozaru. And we're in big trouble. She's nothing like we know her now. She's a wild animal and acts like one."

In her crazed state, Byleth looked around and saw in the distance, Garreg Mach. She growled loudly as if something was telling her to go there. She slowly stepped out of the rubble, not noticing three figures running as if their lives depended on it.

"DO NOT STOP RUNNING!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!"

* * *

"Such an uneventful night." The Gatekeeper hummed, still stationed at his post as he let out a yawn. "I wonder if Miss Byleth managed to find young Flayn? Still, a little excitement around here never bothered anyone. I sure could use some…"

But then his eyes narrowed when he spotted something in the distance. A giant beast, roaring… and making its way over here. His eyes widened as he reached for the alarm bell. "Bugger me!"

He rang the bell as hard as he can and yelled. "RED ALERT! RED ALERT! BEAST ON THE HORIZON!"

This caught the other guard's attention as they looked to see the Oozaru roaring and thumping it's chest as they all scrambled to their stations, screaming how it's a red alert. The students were all roused awake as they all gathered now in their uniforms.

"Goodness, if this is a practice drill, why couldn't they have picked a better time?" Dorothea yawned loudly. "Couldn't even get to do my hair."

Hilda nodded, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes and spoke to her blue haired friend. "What do you think, Marianne?"

…Hilda frowned and turned to face her when she got no response.

"Marianne?"

She saw her friend staring into the distance, completely frozen and a look of pure fear in her eyes. Hilda turned around and her jaw dropped at what she saw. "What… the fuck?"

Everyone soon saw what was approaching and couldn't believe what they saw. But Ashe did.

"It's… the Moon Beast."

"The Moon Beast? That stupid story?" Felix tried to retort, but not even he could mask the fear in his voice as Annette got closer to him for protection.

"I-I don't think that's a story anymore!"

"Look! Monsters approaching!"

They all looked in the distance and saw giant wolves and hawks coming towards the Monastery and Ingrid clutched her spear, trying to stay calm. "That thing must've gotten them riled up. How the hell can we fight all of them at the same time?"

Meanwhile, up in her room, Rhea was tending to Flayn who was still knocked out when the roars caught her attention. She peeked out the window and covered her mouth in shock.

' _Is this what she hid from me? Is this… what Saiyan's are?'_

All were afraid as the one who used to be a mentor and symbol of guidance for some, was now a wild and untamed beast. And if they didn't do something, everything would be destroyed.

And on top of a hill, Thales smirked with Hubert alongside him, staring in shock at what was shown in front of him.

"Don't you now see? This is what she truly is. This is the destructive power that lies inside her. This… is the Oozaru. And she will cause destruction everywhere."

Hubert just looked at the giant monkey and saw his hands were shaking. He was learning just how out of their league this world was.

' _Edelgard… everyone… you need to find a way… because for once, I'm at a loss…_ '

The Oozaru then opened it's mouth… and fired a giant Ki beam towards the ground, destroying the landscape. Jeralt watched the destruction at hand and made a face.

"We have a lot of work to do. Let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy this was a doozy. I was worried I might have been rushing the plot too much, but this point in the game is a very high profile situation where we're desperately trying to find Flayn. The game even lets you end the month early if you find out what's going on so I feel like this worked perfectly.
> 
> I really love detective style games so this was something I was looking forward to doing. Imagine it all black and white with Byleth smoking a cigarette while writing down clues… well there's an idea for art.
> 
> But yes, heavy deviation from canon. In all honesty, I found it weird how the Death Knight stands before you in the cutscene and when the gameplay starts his ass is somewhere else. Decided to keep it close quarters just for a smoother flow.
> 
> Edelgard is realising very quickly just how much she can't trust Thales and his crew. Considering how she was taken hostage and almost dying from Byleth.
> 
> Oh yeah, I should probably mention that, huh? Yeah for all classic Dragonball fans, you should recognise that scene as it's pretty much like when Goku went Oozaru for the first time in the show. Byleth also is very naïve and so wouldn't put two and two together.
> 
> But now we're into a big part of the series so far. Not only do they have to keep Byleth from destroying everything, but also hold off the beasts that she riled up. Let's see if they can do it.
> 
> Do you guys think that the students that witnessed the transformation would think differently of Byleth now that they know what she turns into? Let me know in the review section.
> 
> Now join us for next time when they have to try and fight Byleth in her crazed state.
> 
> Also please check out Quan Ming on Twitter for her amazing artwork of Byleth turning into her Oozaru form. Just add Twitter dot com at the start of the link.
> 
> /budgie_qm/status/1363121464602357764?s=21


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